Objectives, Components, and Measures of Effective Traffic Safety Public Awareness and Education Efforts (2025)
Chapter: Front Matter
Objectives, Components,
and Measures of
Effective Traffic Safety
Public Awareness and
Education Efforts
Naomi Dunn
Rick Greatbatch
Josh Radlbeck
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA
Christopher La Rose
Joselin Bravo Bueno
NORC at the University of Chicago
Atlanta, GA
Conduct of Research Report for BTSCRP Project BTS-18
Submitted February 2025
BTSCRP Web-Only Document 7
Objectives, Components, and Measures of Effective Traffic Safety Public Awareness and Education Efforts
© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was sponsored by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It was conducted through the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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DISCLAIMER
This material is based upon work sponsored by the Governors Highway Safety Association in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under Agreement No. DTNH2216H00018 or 693JJ92250010. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board, the National Academies, and the sponsors of the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR BTSCRP WEB-ONLY DOCUMENT 7
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Richard Retting, Senior Program Officer
Tijhuana Stapleton, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Jennifer J. Weeks, Publishing Projects Manager
Jennifer Correro, Assistant Editor
BTSCRP PROJECT BTS-18 PANEL
Susan B Herbel, SBH Consult, Fort Meyers, FL (Chair)
Nicole L. Charlson, Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, OR
Andrew H. Ceifetz, WSP, Walled Lake, MI
Jeremy R. Chapman, Progressive AE, Asheville, NC
Wendy Coleman, Penna Powers, Salt Lake City, UT
Chanyoung Lee, USF Center for Urban Transportation Research, Tampa, FL
Annette Tucker, NHTSA Liaison
Bernardo B. Kleiner, TRB Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research reported herein was performed under BTSCRP Project 18 by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) with support from NORC at the University of Chicago. Dr. Naomi Dunn, Research Scientist within the Division of Vehicle, Driver & System Safety, was the Project Director and Principal Investigator. The other VTTI authors of this report are Dr. Rick Greatbatch, Co-Principal Investigator and Research Associate, Division of Vehicle, Driver & System Safety; and Dr. Josh Radlbeck, Research Associate, Division of Vehicle, Driver & System Safety. The NORC researchers include Dr. Christopher La Rose, Senior Research Scientist, Public Health and Joselin Bravo Bueno, Senior Research Associate, Public Health.
Table of Contents
Chapter 2. Methods and Metrics to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Traffic Safety Campaigns
Chapter 3. Strengths and Weaknesses of Current Evaluation Methods
Campaign Awareness and Recognition
Campaign Cost-Effectiveness and Efficiency
Secondary Quantitative Metrics
Chapter 4. Practical Framework for Evaluating Traffic Safety Campaigns
Development of Toolkit Materials
Dissemination of Research Results
Appendix A. Strengths and Weaknesses of Current Evaluation Methods
Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions, Beliefs, Norms, and Intentions
Campaign Awareness and Recognition
Campaign Cost-Effectiveness and Efficiency
Appendix B. Quick Reference Guide for Costing Tool
Quick Reference Guide: Focus Group Costing Tool
Quick Reference Guide: Survey Costing Tool
Quick Reference Guide: Media Metrics Costing Tool
Quick Reference Guide: Naturalistic Driving Study Costing Tool
Quick Reference Guide: Observational Study Costing Tool
Quick Reference Guide: Epidemiological Study Costing Tool
BTSCRP Web-Only Document 7 contains the conduct of research report for BTSCRP Project BTS-18 and accompanies BTSCRP Research Report 14: Evaluating Traffic Safety Campaigns: A Guide. Readers can read or purchase BTSCRP Research Report 14 on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org).
