Implementation and evaluation of the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks program

Objective: Evaluate the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) intervention implemented in Utah in 2011 by comparing public awareness, observed driving behavior, and number of citations issued pre- and post-intervention. Methods: The TACT intervention included concentrated media and enforcement focused on four targeted behaviors: following too close, improper lane travel, failure to yield right of way, and speeding. Public awareness surveys and driver behavior observations were conducted before and after the TACT intervention and citation data were collected during the TACT intervention. Two interstate corridors served as an intervention and control site. Results: Post-intervention, drivers were more aware of messages regarding safe driving around commercial vehicles (passenger vehicle drivers: 43.3% vs. 61.5%, p < 0.01; commercial vehicle drivers: 36.5% vs. 64.0%, p = 0.04) and the number of negative interactions observed per hour decreased among passenger (rate ratio [RR] = 7.3, p < 0.01) and commercial (RR = 6.6, p < 0.01) vehicle drivers. Total citations issued during the final enforcement wave were almost half (0.6 times) of those issued during the prior enforcement waves. Conclusions: The TACT intervention was associated with increased public awareness, decreased negative interactions observed, and decreased citations issued. These findings suggest that the TACT intervention is effective at promoting safe driving behaviors around commercial vehicles.