Dissemination of county data on distracted driving to inform policy and program development

Issue: Drivers know that talking on a cellular phone and sending text messages are prohibited by state law and increase crash risk, yet many continue to engage in these hazardous practices behind the wheel. As data alone does not typically motivate behavior change, we undertook a targeted dissemination strategy in order to share county-level data on distracted driving prevalence, measures of distracted driving enforcement to educate law enforcement, criminal justice system stakeholders and policy makers about Washington’s distracted driving law, its enforceability and enforcement patterns.

Findings: A recent study of prevalence/enforcement of distracted driving in WA found high rates of distracted driving (1 out of every 10 drivers), and identified significant variability of enforcement patterns. A public health law research team created and disseminated  county-level report cards on distracted driving prevalence, enforcement and injury/deaths. Report cards were shared with state/ local policy makers, public health experts, and targeted media channels.  Model agency policies and policy white papers were created/disseminated.  Policy education contributed to the proposed revisions in state distracted driving legislation, extensive traditional and social media coverage, and additional distracted driving program activity at the local level.

Conclusions: A communication strategy to disseminate county-level research results can be utilized effectively to educate key stakeholders, leading to broader awareness, program and policy development.

Recommendations: Using an example from distracted driving research, opportunities to rapidly and strategically share county-level data  with key stakeholders can catalyze decisive public action.