Evaluation of Michigan’s TACT Program

Evaluation of Michigan’s Ticketing
Aggressive Cars & Trucks (TACT)
Program
Nicole Zanier
Traffic Safety Conference
Corpus Christi, TX
June, 2015

UMTRI Research Team
Lidia Kostyniuk, PhD PE Daniel Blower, PhD David Eby, PhD
Lisa Molnar, PhD
Nicole Zanier, BARenée St. Louis, MPH

Background
 Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) Program
• Combination of high visibility enforcement, public information &
education (PI&E) program, and evaluation to decrease traffic
deaths and injuries from light vehicle (LV)/truck crashes by making
general driving public more aware of the safe ways to interact with
large trucks
• Funded (in part) through grants from Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA)
 In 2004, Washington State conducted successful pilot program
 FMCSA encouraged more States to implement TACT programs
• FMSCA funded a TACT program in Michigan in 2013
• UMTRI conducted the evaluation

Michigan TACT Program Area & Comparison
Sites
TACT Program
Comparison

Michigan TACT Program
 Coordinated by Michigan’s Office of Highway Safety Planning
 3 Waves : Oct 7-18, Nov 4-15, Dec 2-13
 High visibility enforcement on TACT Corridors
• ~2,800 hours of enforcement planned
• Six enforcement agencies
• Monday-Friday, 7 AM – 7 PM
• Targeting light vehicles and trucks
– Improper lane use, careless and reckless driving, speeding
– Following too closely, failure to yield right of way
• Use of marked and unmarked cars, violators to be stopped &
ticketed, given pamphlet on LV/truck safe driving
 Media and PI&E Campaigns
• Kick-off press conference
• Billboards, paid radio ads
• Press releases  TV and radio news stories
• Public media event at Walmart

UMTRI’s Evaluation – Two Parts
 Process Evaluation
• How was the program conducted?
• Summary of activities
 Program Outcome Evaluation
• What changed in TACT sites after the program in
comparison to similar sites where TACT was not
implemented?
o Knowledge and Awareness
o Unsafe Driving Behaviors
o Truck/LV Crashes

Process Evaluation
 Was the Michigan TACT program carried out as planned?
• UMTRI collected and summarized enforcement and media outreach
data from OHSP.
Results
 Yes, enforcement carried out as planned.
• Total of 2,569 enforcement hours.
• 3,000 vehicles stopped (2,574 LV, 426 trucks)
• Citations (2,281 LV, 247 trucks)
• 90 arrests
 Yes, PI&E campaign carried out as planned.
• Kickoff press conference
• Community event at Wal-Mart
• Billboards in 16 locations
• Radio ad aired 350 times
• Print/online articles
• TV/radio news stories
• Freeway message signs

TACT Program Outcome Evaluation
 Three studies
 Each used before/after + comparison design
 1. Surveys
• A) General driving public and B) Truck drivers
o Driving behavior of LV near large trucks
o Awareness of TACT program
o Perceptions of being stopped by police for unsafe
driving actions
o Knowledge of safe/unsafe driving practices around
trucks
 2. Direct observational study of unsafe driving
actions of light vehicles near trucks
 3. Statistical analysis of LV/truck monthly crash
data from Jan 2008-Apr 2014

Survey of Motorists & Truck Drivers
 Separate surveys of motorists and truck
drivers in both TACT & comparison areas
 Survey Questions: driving behaviors;
awareness of TACT program; perceived
threat of enforcement; knowledge and
opinions of unsafe driving behaviors
 Total Motorist respondents – 402 before
(200 TACT, 202 compare) and 404 after
(200 TACT, 204 compare)
 Total Truck Driver respondents - Total
respondents – 184 before, 132 after

Results of Motorist/Truck Driver Surveys
• TACT messages successfully received;
o After TACT, about 40% of light vehicle and truck drivers aware of “Leave More
Space for Trucks” slogan; significant increase.
• Both thought it unlikely a car would be stopped by police for unsafe
actions near truck; more likely a truck would be stopped. TACT program
did not change this perception.
• No change in the ratings of how likely unsafe driving actions (e.g. speed,
tailgating, improper passing, inappropriate merging) would contribute
to a crash.
• Light vehicle drivers reported no change in their driving behaviors
around large trucks. Truck drivers agreed.
• No change in how often motorists and truck drivers see unsafe driving
actions by cars and trucks on the road.

Direct Observational Study
 Changes in Unsafe Driving Behaviors
• Direct observational study of selected
driving behaviors: passing and merging
maneuvers near large trucks
• TACT and Comparison corridors
• Before TACT program: September 2013
• After TACT program: January – March
2014
• Protocols
oUMTRI observers ride in large trucks
oIdentify and classify passing and
merging maneuvers (safe/unsafe)

Results – Direct Observational Study
No practical differences in percentage of safe lane changes or percentage of
safe merges near truck; no differences in signal use at TACT program sites
Lane change maneuver rate
 Safe lane change: TACT 97%  95%; Comparison 91%  94%
 Signal use: TACT 57%  60%; Comparison 62%  70%
Merge maneuver rate
 Safe merge: TACT 91%  88%; Comparison 88%  95%
 Signal use: TACT 72%  72%; Comparison 49%  48%
Some statistical differences – however

Crash Data Analysis
 Hypothesis: TACT Program reduced crashes related to
aggressive driving by cars or trucks.
 Crash data: from January 2008 – April 2014 extracted from
police crash reports
 Target crashes: Crashes involving trucks with a hazardous
action by either the truck driver or the other driver.
 Challenge: Separate the effect of the TACT Program from all
other factors that affect crash rates.

Method
 Control for top factors that
affect crash rates:
• Exposure—amount of travel by
trucks and other vehicles.
• State of the economy—can affect
who drives and why, including
discretionary travel.
• Environment—primarily weather,
affecting visibility and roadway
friction.
 TACT program area and
comparison area with no
TACT program.
 Approach: Normal regression
model

Results
 Effect of TACT program not detectible
in crash data
 Timing with respect to the winter was
particularly unfortunate, since the
major factor on truck crash rates in
December & January is snow.
 Better seasonal timing of TACT
program, over more road mileage, and
longer periods of time may produce
different results.

Truck Crash Rate
TACT & Comparison Roads
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5 Jan-08
May-08
Sep-08
Jan-09
May-09
Sep-09
Jan-10
May-10
Sep-10
Jan-11
May-11
Sep-11
Jan-12
May-12
Sep-12
Jan-13
May-13
Sep-13
Jan-14
Crashesper1000ADT
Crash rate (TACT)
Crash rate (Comparison)
TACT waves

Truck Crash Rate and
Snow/precipitation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Jan-08
May-08
Sep-08
Jan-09
May-09
Sep-09
Jan-10
May-10
Sep-10
Jan-11
May-11
Sep-11
Jan-12
May-12
Sep-12
Jan-13
May-13
Sep-13
Jan-14
Inchesofrain+snow
Crashesper1000ADT
Crash rate (TACT) Snow+precipitation
TACT waves

Structured interviews with LE who participated in TACT
 All agencies invited – three local agencies participated
 Themes of interviews – training, enforcement tactics, how was TACT
enforcement different than other programs, what worked, challenges,
effectiveness, suggestions for future
 Summary
• Training: informal; not familiar with large truck violations
• Enforcement tactics: each agency assigned locations and hours, not much
interagency coordination, lack of patch radio
• How different: not much different than other enhanced enforcement
programs
• What worked: innovative use of orange traffic cones for judging following too
closely
• Challenges: traffic congestion, peak period not good for enforcement, need
space to pull violator over; snow
• Effectiveness: motorists obey laws when police present – revert back to old
behavior when police not present
• Suggestions: would like to have more guidance on specific vehicle code
violations, more formal training, more coordination between agencies

Conclusions
 TACT public awareness campaign
worked well
 Could not detect effects on driving
behavior
• Possible reasons: timing and
snow
 Lessons learned for future
programs
• Better timing
• Better interagency
coordination and training
• Longer corridors, possibly I-
94

Final Report
Evaluation of the Michigan TACT Program
Kostyniuk, Lidia P.; Blower, Daniel; Molnar, Lisa J.; Eby,
David W.; St. Louis, Renée M.; Zanier, Nicole
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/1
09414
Questions?
nzanier@umich.edu

Evaluation of Michigan’s TACT Program

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