Traffic Stops

From Using police observations on traffic stops to inform policy
Survey responses from 1,036 police patrol officers or deputies:

Summary of survey's considerations:

"Looking at the context of police traffic stops and the insights of officers in the survey may lead to reform for the police and their stakeholders as they work to create a mutually beneficial future for traffic and community safety. Among these are three ways to alter police practice to eliminate unwarranted intrusion into the lives of their citizenry, and also practices that enhance the safety of officers on the streets:

1. The first consideration is to capture the data about traffic stops in your jurisdiction and then act on that information. 
2. A second consideration is to use the outcomes of the Police1 survey to engage officers and the public to discern levels of local support for the continuance (or alteration) of police responsibilities for traffic enforcement.
3. A final consideration is to address officer proficiency in dealing with persons who are non-compliant."

Black people are more likely to die in traffic accidents. Covid made it worse.

(Click on the above image for the NBCNews report)

• Black people represented the largest increase in traffic deaths last year than any other racial group, even as Americans drove less overall due to the pandemic, according to recently released data.
• An estimated 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2020 — the largest projected number of deaths since 2007, according the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of Black people who died in such crashes was up 23 percent from 2019, the largest increase in traffic deaths among racial groups, according to the administration’s report.
• Calvin Gladney, president of Smart Growth America, said the pandemic has only exacerbated the longstanding problem. He said there are three major reasons Black people bear the brunt of roadway injuries: infrastructure, design and racism. Predominantly Black neighborhoods are less likely to have crosswalks, warning signs and other safety mechanisms, he said. And many high-speed highways are in or go through communities of color, thanks to a federal effort in the 1950s to modernize the nation’s roadways.

People Killed and Injured on MD 210 - 2011 to Date

 

Based on data from the MDOT SHA Office of Traffic and Safety

The question is: how do we change driver behavior?

More specifically, how do we change the behavior of the very small percentage of drivers who are putting all of us at risk by recklessly speeding and repeatedly speeding?

Drive safe and stay alive.