Overview

The Community Traffic Safety Program started in Florida as a unified, multi-agency effort from various disciplines to reduce vehicle crash rates.

By using the team approach and combining law enforcement, emergency medical services, public education and engineering efforts, the agencies involved in traffic safety can address: road improvements, driver education and enhanced response times.  These task forces bring a variety of perspectives into play when solving mutual traffic safety problems.

ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

Road improvements are just the first step in decreasing crashes. In determining what road enhancements were necessary, DOT crash information is reviewed to identify the location of crash clusters, road deficiencies, and other contributing factors to the crash problem.

Road enhancements all have the following characteristics:

• safety-related
• cost-efficient
• not in need of a lengthy design or study
• can be implemented within a relatively short time

PUBLIC EDUCATION

The public education component of the program is designed to improve driver performance.  According to DOT crash data, most crashes reported are caused by driver error.

The public education effort targets shopping and business centers by placing public education material (flyers, posters, etc.) in stores and other establishments.  Topics covered in the education program include: safety belt usage, drinking and driving, speeding, unsafe driving practices and pedestrian/bicycle safety.  Methods are also being developed to extend the education effort into area schools.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

Through public awareness education efforts and multi-agency cooperation, the safety team approach works to identify means to reduce response time for emergency vehicles.

ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES

The main objective of law enforcement agencies expanded enforcement effort is to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities through increased training of traffic officers, and the use of selective traffic enforcement tactics and programs.  Past selective enforcement programs have demonstrated a direct correlation between increase enforcement and declining crash rates.