The Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy Launches Project to Improve Law Enforcement Practices and Traffic Safety

The Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy was awarded a five-year, $5.3 million cooperative agreement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reduce traffic deaths and injuries by developing innovative strategies for traffic law enforcement.

The project, Innovative Approaches to Advancing Traffic Safety and Enforcement, brings together experts in law enforcement, public health, and traffic safety to conduct research and develop recommendations for law enforcement practices that maximize safety and equity.

“Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death in the U.S., and a growing public health burden,” says Shannon Frattaroli, PhD, MPH, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and co-investigator on the project. “Using public health methods, we will maximize the beneficial deterrent effects of enforcement while minimizing risks to officers and the public.”

Traffic law enforcement programs, like enforcing seatbelt use, have been effective at reducing crash injuries and deaths. However, officer engagement in traffic operations has decreased over time due to factors including workforce limitations and competing demands for law enforcement time.

The growing movement toward addressing road safety comprehensively—applying principles known as the Safe System approach--has also focused attention on identifying the most effective and efficient methods of traffic law enforcement to increase safety for all road users and to improve racial equity.

The project, which also brings together experts from the National Criminal Justice Training Center, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Policing Security Technology, and Private Security Research & Policy Institute, will focus on research and evaluation of methods and tools law enforcement personnel can use to enhance traffic safety while also reducing the potential for conflict associated with traditional traffic stops.

To ensure that recommendations coming from the partnership reflect a broad range of perspectives, the research will be informed by two working groups. A community working group will be established to reflect the needs of underserved communities and a law enforcement working group will represent the capacities of law enforcement agencies.

Over the five-year period, the project will also use research methods to build on the strengths of a national peer-to-peer law enforcement network to educate officers on the latest evidence regarding traffic operations.

“As the U.S. makes a long-term commitment to implementing a Safe System approach to road safety, we recognize the ongoing need for evidence-based traffic enforcement,” says Jeff Michael, EdD, distinguished scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy and Co-Principal Investigator of the project. “We will assess the strengths of current peer-to-peer training efforts and recommend refinements that build on best practices for educating traffic enforcement officers nationwide.”

Sheldon Greenberg, PhD, Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Education is also a Co-Principal Investigator.

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