Center for Transportation Safety

Current Research

Examining Utility of SFST's

The purpose of this project is to evaluate whether sober individuals can perform the standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs). Previous research only investigated whether the SFSTs were valid and reliable indicators of impairment above a 0.08 BAC. These studies have determined the present paradigms for sobriety testing models which are accepted as valid and reliable methods for law enforcement evaluation at roadside. This project administers SFSTs on a group of subjects and aims to produce a report of findings for presentation to NHTSA or other appropriate agency for consideration of future project funding.

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Evaluation of Efforts to Assess and Improve the Ignition Interlock Program in Texas

Ignition interlock devices are used to prevent a person from starting a vehicle after using alcohol. Current legislative mandates, which have been in place since 1995, require the use of ignition interlock devices for second offenders. In 2005, Texas also passed a law whereby drivers arrested with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) greater than 0.15 (BAC > 0.15) are also eligible for interlock devices. However, the use of ignition interlock devices as a driving while intoxicated (DWI) countermeasure has traditionally been underutilized in Texas.

A study conducted in FY08 provided an evaluation to better understand the current ignition interlock program in Texas through identification and application of laws and associated administrative processes, the effectiveness of the program as a DWI countermeasure, and the perspectives of those at the user level of the ignition interlock program. A summary of applicable statutes and projections about the potential for enhancement and expansion of the ignition interlock program will be provided in light of the evidence provided in the report.

The merits and availability of interlock devices as a means to prevent drinking and driving by DWI offenders will be summarized and made available to policymakers, prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, and probation officers. The report will also identify potential barriers to implementing a more successful ignition interlock program in Texas.

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Statewide Impaired Driving Working Group

This multi-disciplinary working group acts as a strategic planning body in the area of impaired driving program development. As subject matter experts, they provide input and recommend changes to the Texas Impaired Driving Program. In order to ensure the products of the Texas Impaired Driving Working Group are beneficial, TTI coordinated the Working Group and developed 'white papers' or policy statements along with ad hoc data analysis. This information was submitted to TxDOT for concurrence and distributed according to the Department's internal requirements. The Working Group convenes in Austin at least two times during the grant year. Additional forums or meetings have been conducted between meetings to address specific challenges or issues. After Action Reports (AARs) are to be issued after each meeting detailing specific action items, along with a summary of completed items and plans for the next performance period.

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Evaluation of Efforts to Improve Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Reporting in Texas

In a project conducted in 2006, surveys of Medical Examiner (ME) Offices, Justices of the Peace (JPs) who act as coroners in counties without an ME Office, and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Lab were conducted to identify gaps in understanding of the procedures for reporting toxicology results to the Crash Records Bureau. A new law was passed (effective September 1, 2007) requiring both MEs and JPs to report toxicology results to Texas Department of Transportation Crash Records for inclusion in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS: A national database of all fatal crashes). Follow-up activities are planned in FY09 with the agencies contacted during the FY06 project. Each ME Office will be contacted regarding their understanding of the new law, access to the form, and instructions regarding where the toxicology results should be sent. Since the ME Offices each use a different type of database or other method for keeping their data, assistance will be provided for each ME Office to develop standardized procedures for reporting the information.

In FY08, the Texas Justice Courts Training Center (the agency responsible for training JPs) began training JPs about the new law. It will be necessary in FY09 to ensure that all new Justices of the Peace are informed about the law and its implications for JPs acting as coroners in counties without an ME Office. In addition, access to the form developed for reporting this information to FARS, and an explanation of their duty to report traffic fatality and toxicology information will need to be conducted through the Texas Justice Courts Training Center. An e-mail survey will be provided to the JPs in FY09 in order to obtain feedback and questions about the reporting procedures.

In order to determine what needs to be done to guarantee the success of recent efforts to improve BAC reporting in Texas, the proposed project will review the 2006 and 2007 data recorded in the FARS database to determine the baseline rate of reporting BAC results to FARS. An assessment of compliance by all agencies and entities with plans to submit toxicology results will be addressed. The proposed project will evaluate how the new law and improvement efforts may have affected the rate of BAC reporting in 2008, and what problems in reporting BAC results to FARS might remain for MEs, JPs, law enforcement officers, and the DPS Crime Lab. The proposed project will also determine what barriers might remain for law enforcement officers with respect to reporting BAC test results for all fatally injured drivers and pedestrians in Texas.

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Statewide Impaired Driving Working Group

This multi-disciplinary working group acts as a strategic planning body in the area of impaired driving program development. As subject matter experts, they provide input and recommend changes to the Texas Impaired Driving Program. In order to ensure the products of the Texas Impaired Driving Working Group are beneficial, TTI coordinated the Working Group and developed 'white papers' or policy statements along with ad hoc data analysis. This information was submitted to TxDOT for concurrence and distributed according to the Department's internal requirements. The Working Group convenes in Austin at least two times during the grant year. Additional forums or meetings have been conducted between meetings to address specific challenges or issues. After Action Reports (AARs) are to be issued after each meeting detailing specific action items, along with a summary of completed items and plans for the next performance period.

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Recently Completed

Evaluation of the Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program in Texas

Ignition Interlock devices installed on the vehicles driven by DWI offenders will not allow the operation of the vehicle if the driver has been drinking. This protects the public from DWI offenders who might otherwise violate the terms of probation and license suspension and continue to drive while under the influence of alcohol. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducted a project in 2008 to identify any barriers to implementing a more successful ignition interlock program for DWI offenders in Texas. First, safety center personnel conducted a process evaluation to document the flow of information and the rate at which the court assigned these offenders to the interlock program as required by law.

Second, safety center personnel conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the ignition interlock program as a DWI countermeasure by comparing re-arrests of those offenders who were not assigned to the interlock program with those who participated in the interlock program. Third, a survey of judges and prosecutors in Texas was conducted to determine their opinions about the current interlock laws, the use of ignition interlock devices for DWI offenders, their impressions of the effectiveness of interlocks in preventing DWI, and any barriers to further implementation of the interlock program in Texas.

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Improving Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Testing and Reporting in Texas

Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducted a project to determine the remaining barriers to testing and reporting the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and other toxicology results for fatally injured drivers and pedestrians in Texas. Safety center personnel reviewed the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data to determine the rate of reporting BAC results by counties with Medical Examiner (ME) Offices. TTI also continued to work closely with Crash Records and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Lab to determine the reporting compliance by ME Offices as well as the Justices of the Peace (JPs) who serve as coroners in counties without ME Offices. HB 423, which became effective on September 1, 2007, amended the Texas Transportation Code to require MEs and JPs to report the toxicology results for drivers and pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in Texas. TTI continues to work closely with the Texas Justice Courts Training Center to ensure that all JPs are informed about their duty to report the toxicology results for fatally injured drivers and pedestrians to DPS Crash Records. See the article entitled "Legislature Clarifies Reporting Requirements for Fatal Crashes" in the Texas Transportation Researcher for more information.

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Demographics of Fatal Crashes in Texas and Evaluation of Current and Proposed Countermeasures to Reduce Impaired Driving

Alcohol-related crashes continue to take a toll on Texas roadways. In 2002-2004, an estimated 40-42% of all fatalities occurred in crashes wherein the driver had a BAC ≥ 0.08, the legal limit for intoxication in Texas since 1999. In the past 10 years, Texas has enacted several important laws (e.g., Zero Tolerance for Minors in 1997; the 0.08 BAC Law in 1999; and the Driver Responsibility Act in 2003) to reduce alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. However, the effectiveness of these measures in reducing the extent of the toll from driving under the influence of alcohol in Texas had not previously been studied.

The evidence presented in this study (as well as studies conducted in other states) casts doubt that the reduction in BAC limit from 0.10 to 0.08 has had any appreciable long-term effect on the incidence of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. However, there did appear to be a very slight effect on nighttime alcohol-related fatal crashes in Texas (from 70.8% in 2000 to 66.8% in 2005), something which has been observed elsewhere. In Texas, it is likely that the reduction of the legal BAC limit, along with administrative license revocation (ALR), the "open- container" law, Zero Tolerance for Minors, and the use of ignition interlock devices on the vehicles of DWI offenders on probation have had some combined effect in reducing the overall toll from alcohol-related fatal crashes.

Tougher sanctions for all DWI offenders (including first-time offenders) may be needed in Texas. However, at this time, ensuring an increase in enforcement of current laws and consistent adjudication of those laws would be the most effective means of realizing a reduction in impaired driving. Future evaluations of DWI arrest and conviction rates (including plea bargaining to a lesser offense), as well as the degree to which the courts are applying the laws in effect, are needed in order to determine which aspects of the current system of DWI laws are working, and what additional barriers to reducing impaired driving remain to be more fully and effectively addressed in Texas.

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Impaired Road-Users: A Comparison of the Drivers and Pedestrians Involved in Fatal Pedestrian Crashes

Pedestrian fatalities represent about 11% of all motor vehicle deaths in the United States each year, and the results of this study indicate that more than one-third of the fatally injured adult pedestrians in 2002-2004 were intoxicated (BAC ≥ 0.08) at the time of the crash. Although the percentage of fatally injured drivers with a positive BAC (0.01+) has decreased substantially from about 50% in 1986 to about 35% in 2004, the percentage of fatally injured pedestrians with a positive BAC at the time of the crash has decreased only slightly (from 45% in 1986 to 41% in 2004).

The results of this study demonstrated that almost 3 times as many of the fatally injured pedestrians (36.3%) had a BAC ≥ 0.08 compared with the drivers who struck them (12.7%). That is, about one in 3 fatally injured pedestrians was intoxicated at the time of the crash compared with only about 1 in 8 of the drivers involved in those crashes. Further comparisons also showed that the peak BACs for fatally injured pedestrians were in the range of 0.19 to 0.24 compared with 0.12 to 0.16 for the drivers involved in those crashes. The mean BAC for fatally injured pedestrians with alcohol in their systems at the time of death was 0.201. By comparison, the mean BAC for the drivers involved in those fatal pedestrian crashes was 0.138. Analyses also indicated that only 11.2% of the fatally injured pedestrians were below the limit of 0.08 BAC at the time of the crash compared with 20.4% of the drivers who struck them. More than 40% of the fatally injured adult pedestrians in 2002-2004 had alcohol in their system compared with only 15-17% of the drivers involved in those crashes.

Alcohol-impaired pedestrians are one of the highest risk groups for mortality in motor vehicle crashes, and the public should be made aware that drinking is a serious risk for pedestrians as well as drivers. Strategies to reduce the number of intoxicated pedestrian fatalities should focus on preventing pedestrians from reaching high BACs through promotion of alcohol server intervention programs and enforcement of dram shop laws. In addition, engineering measures to separate pedestrians from motor vehicles (especially in high-risk locations) should be investigated and employed.

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Analysis and Incidence of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Fatally-Injured Drivers and Pedestrians

This project involved obtaining alcohol and drug results from Medical Examiner Offices for fatally injured drivers and pedestrians for 2002 and 2003 in Texas. The toxicology results provided baseline data for determining the effectiveness of future countermeasures to reduce impaired driving in Texas. A database of all information is constructed. The final report examines the trend in alcohol-related driver fatalities by comparing previously obtained data from 1997 and 1998 with 2002 and 2003.

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Drug Evaluation Classification Program (DECP) Evaluation Project

One of the objectives of the DEC Program is to provide law enforcement officers with the tools to identify the signs and symptoms associated with drug impairment in drivers. In order to accomplish this mission effectively, the program required an evaluation component which will provide immediate feedback as well as assess long-term impacts on the apprehension of the drug impaired driver. This evaluation effort helps to strengthen the overall program in terms of constructive feedback which will serve to inform recertification curriculum and general instruction methodology as well as statistical data to inform the traffic safety community concerning driving under the influence of drugs (illicit, prescription or over the counter). TTI developed, distributed, and analyzed a comprehensive course evaluation to assess the training following field certification phase at the time they complete the Final Knowledge Examination. In addition, TTI analyzes a sample of DRE evaluations (face-sheets and toxicology reports) to identify issues related to recognition and classification of drug categories in order to adjust the training delivery methods in the DRE course (two week school and field certifications) and the recertification courses to improve identification of drug categories in field performance.

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State Demonstration and Evaluation for Reducing Alcohol-Related Crashes

This project was part of a five state demonstration 403 grant for NHTSA. It investigated innovative methods to decrease the number of fatalities attributed to alcohol in the state.

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Driver and Pedestrian BACS in Texas

More than 3,700 persons (including more than 2,200 drivers and approximately 400 pedestrians) are killed in traffic crashes each year in Texas. The Texas Department of Public Safety estimated that alcohol was involved in 1,047 (28%) of all traffic fatalities in 2000. This study uses this information to assemble a database of driver and pedestrian BACs and other drug results from 2002 and 2003. It provides baseline information about drugs found in fatally injured drivers and pedestrians.

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Alcohol Involvement in Texas Driver Fatalities - 1998 Data

The objective of this project was to update the existing BAC database with data for 1998 and to continue examination of the trends in alcohol involvement in traffic fatalities in Texas across the years during which this study has been conducted (1983 to 2000).

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Other Resources

Drinking and Driving in Texas - Texas is among the national leaders when it comes to traffic deaths that involve alcohol. Experts estimate that 70 Texans are injured or killed in alcohol-related crashes every day. This site provides information about alcohol-related laws, crashes, deaths, arrests, and resources in Texas.

Texas Safety Network - is an educational forum on alcohol-related issues in the Lone Star State. The Web site offers a free e-mail newsletter, action alerts, and outreach activities for people and organizations across the state.

TABC – Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission – The TABC is the regulatory agency in the state of Texas with responsibility for the importation, sales, and use of alcoholic beverages in the state.

Stop Impaired Driving - The Impaired Driving Division at National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seeks to work cooperatively to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce traffic-related healthcare and economic costs resulting from impaired driving (alcohol and other drugs). NHTSA collaborates with many criminal justice and community organizations to sponsor impaired driving campaigns such as You Drink & Drive. You Lose., Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk and Zero Tolerance Means Zero Chances.