SITE REPORT: LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY FIELD TEST OF COMBINED SPEED, ALCOHOL, AND SAFETY BELT ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES. FINAL REPORT

The report describes the implementation and evaluation of a traffic safety program in Lexington, Kentucky. The goal of the program was to reduce the incidence of speeding, alcohol-impaired driving (DWI) and non-use of safety belts through well-publicized enforcement strategies focusing attention on all three areas. The Lexington Division of Police selected 'Traffic Watch' as the theme for their program. The program sequentially emphasized five different combined enforcement strategies over a period of approximately one year. A public information and education program that focused on each strategy ran for about two months. The study concluded that Lexington's combined enforcement program was effective against both speeding and DWI. The program did not result in a statistically significant increase in safety belt use. However, it was able to maintain the high use rates that Lexington was experiencing prior to the beginning of the combined program.