CSET Year-1 and Year-2 research activities at the University of Idaho (UI) documented the characteristics of traffic crashes for RITI communities in Idaho and identified possible intervention measures. A CSET Year 3 project at the UI shifted to research focus into training and educational tools that promote and cause a significant positive change in the traffic safety culture in these communities. The primary goal of this Year 3 project has been to promote and strengthen a positive traffic safety culture among RITI communities in Idaho through active engagement activities and attempted to achieve 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.
The primary goal of this Year-5 project is to move the findings of previous CSET research activities into the implementation stage through partnership with the five Native American tribes in Idaho in several active engagement education and outreach activities that are aimed at promoting and strengthening a positive traffic safety culture among RITI communities focusing on one of the most vulnerable groups: younger drivers. The education and outreach activities will focus on three major areas: distracted driving, speeding, and the use of seatbelts and protective devices. The project has the following objectives:
1) Educate teenage drivers throughout Idaho Tribes on the dangers of distracted driving, speeding, and the use of seatbelt and other protective devices and change the cultural norms about these subjects,
2) Test the effectiveness of different active involvement outreach and education activities in strengthening and promoting positive safety culture among young drivers in the Tribal communities in Idaho,
3) Develop an implementation guide that can be used by RITI communities in the Pacific Northwest and the nation to guide successful implementation of active involvement education and outreach activities that are aimed at impacting the traffic safety culture norms in RITI communities.