Date of Award

6-2014

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering

Department

Civil and Construction Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Valerian Kwigizile

Second Advisor

Dr. Jun-Seok Oh

Third Advisor

Dr. Osama Abudayyeh

Keywords

Police, enforcement, Michigan, impact, methodology

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Multiple studies have stated the advantages of police traffic enforcement on crash reduction (Zaidel, February 2002). It is very important to identify locations and time periods where police enforcement produces the greatest crash reductions. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the impact of overtime traffic enforcement on crash occurrence; (2) develop procedures to identify police agencies with potential to reduce targeted crashes; and (3) develop procedures to identify additional time periods in which enforcement activities should be conducted. In order to accomplish these objectives, many methodologies were explored. The study used crash and enforcement data collected by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP). The first objective was accomplished by applying trend analysis combined with simple regression analysis. The results indicated a positive impact of police enforcement on crash occurrence. The remaining objectives were accomplished by using a modified Critical Rate (CR) method. The results from these analyses indicated that both modified Critical Rate methods, objectively establish means for the selection of agencies and time periods. Despite these results, further efforts should be made in identifying statistical approaches to determine the impact of enforcement on crash occurrence, and enhancing the current analysis including more quality data.

Download

Share

COinS