The fatal crash reduction program: A reevaluation

Abstract

The “Fatal Crash Reduction Program” was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of increased police patrolling and traffic law enforcement in reducing highway fatalities. Claims were made that the Fatal Crash Reduction Program in Michigan resulted in 42 fewer fatal crashes and 59 fewer fatalities than expected, and a nationwide, 10 million dollar intensified enforcement program—the “Fatal Accident Reduction Enforcement Program” (FARE) — was subsequently launched. However, a reevaluation of the Michigan Fatal Crash Reduction Program presented in this report indicates that it was not effective in reducing highway fatalities, and that the original evaluation was designed and analyzed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in such a way that incorrect results were obtained.