Location
Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Lobby
Description
Motor vehicle crashes caused the majority fatalities to police officers in the U. S. for more than a decade, yet little is known about factors contributing to injury crashes. This research project required original data collection. A national survey of police chiefs in state, county, and local agencies of all sizes was conducted online in June and July, 2012. Questions focused on various driving policies and practices, including those related to communication technology commonly used in police patrol vehicles. Other questions included hypothetical situations to explore the culture of driving safety in individual police organizations. The majority of chiefs clearly responded that speed is the top factor in crashes, and many believe there are other contributing factors, notably inexperience and distractions. Binary logistic regression results show agency size and policies permitting cell phone use as statistically significant predictors of injury crashes involving officers. Organizational cultures were compared with t tests.
Keywords
Police – Death; Traffic accidents; Traffic fatalities; Traffic safety
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Transportation | Urban Studies
Language
English
Abstract
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Transportation Commons, Urban Studies Commons
Police Injury Crashes and the Intersections of Policy, Technology, and Culture
Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Lobby
Motor vehicle crashes caused the majority fatalities to police officers in the U. S. for more than a decade, yet little is known about factors contributing to injury crashes. This research project required original data collection. A national survey of police chiefs in state, county, and local agencies of all sizes was conducted online in June and July, 2012. Questions focused on various driving policies and practices, including those related to communication technology commonly used in police patrol vehicles. Other questions included hypothetical situations to explore the culture of driving safety in individual police organizations. The majority of chiefs clearly responded that speed is the top factor in crashes, and many believe there are other contributing factors, notably inexperience and distractions. Binary logistic regression results show agency size and policies permitting cell phone use as statistically significant predictors of injury crashes involving officers. Organizational cultures were compared with t tests.
Comments
Committee Chair William Sousa
Committee Members: Helen Neill, David Damore, and Pushkin Kachroo
File: Poster
Attached file: Abstract