Police Crackdowns and Slowdowns-A Naturalistic Evaluation of Changes in Police Traffic Enforcement

• NCJ Number: 70382
• Journal: Behavioral Assessment Volume: 2 Dated: (1980) Pages: 33-41
• Author(s): A F Carr; J F Schnelle; R E Kirchner
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A retrospective quasi-experimental reversal study design was used to examine the effects of increases and decreases in police traffic enforcement on the frequency and severity of traffic accidents in Nashville, Tenn.

Abstract

In April 1978, the Nashville Police Department began a special project to enforce the 55 miles per hour speed limit on local interstate highways in order to reduce accident frequency. In June, police officers began a well-publicized work slowdown to support their demands for salary increases. Traffic enforcement operations and misdemeanor arrests were effectively curtailed for 1 month, although citywide police patrol presence remained at the same level, a situation that provided an opportunity for an evaluation of the impact of traffic citations on traffic safety. The number of citations for moving violations issued per day was assessed for baseline periods of 2 months before the citation project and 2 months after the slowdown had ended, as well as for the 1-month speed enforcement period and for the work slowdown. The dependent variable was the number of traffic accidents per day. These were divided into accidents involving property damage only, those involving personal injury, and those involving fatalities. Results showed that the citation frequency was relatively stable during the first baseline period, 52 percent above baseline during the speed limit enforcement period, 36 percent of the original baseline level during the work slowdown, and at the original baseline level after the end of the slowdown. Throughout these periods, the frequency of reported accidents and the distribution of accident types remained constant. These findings question the utility of traffic enforcement crackdowns as a public safety measure, and demonstrate that temporary lapses in such enforcement have no documented detrimental effects. Related literature is reviewed. One figure and 10 references are included.