Center for Safety Equity in Transportation

rural • isolated • tribal • indigenous

Promoting Positive Traffic Safety Culture in RITI Communitties through Active Engagement: Barriers and Opportunities

  • Completed

    CSET Project #: 1909

    Project Funding: University of Idaho

  • Start Date: September 2019

    End Date: September 2023

    Budget: $165000

Project Summary

RITI crash data analysis clearly highlighted three major areas of concerns: prevalence of exercise speeding, impaired and distracted driving, and underage driving. Specific strategies to reduce motor vehicle crash-related injuries and deaths have been well-documented nationally. Safety-focused educational programs and general awareness campaigns with regard to increased use of occupant restraints, higher visibility traffic enforcement, and stronger laws to address impaired driving have all contributed to reduction in crashes in urban areas. However, in RITI rural communities, where, on average, 30 percent of fatalities occurred due to speeding-related crashes, and 45 percent of all fatalities were related to either impairment and/or distraction and where it is common for children under the age of 16 to drive automobiles in addition to other non-traditional modes of transportation, much more work is still needed. It is incredibly important that RITI communities are provided the proper resources and methods to deliver the appropriate training and educational tools that promote and cause a significant positive change in the traffic safety culture in these communities. The primary goal of the work proposed in this project is promote and strengthen a positive traffic safety culture among RITI communities in Idaho through active engagement activities. We aim to achieve the following two objectives: document lessons learned from previous active community engagement activities in tribal and rural communities that attempted to promote and positively impact the traffic safety culture in these communities, and develop guidelines for best practices to promote and positively impact the traffic safety culture in RITI communities highlighting both opportunities and barriers.