Community-Centered Traffic Safety

"Community-Centered Traffic Safety" is a research project focused on addressing the complex issue of traffic safety through a multifaceted, locally informed approach. Recognizing the limitations of uniform strategies, the project explores traffic safety challenges by considering varied cultural, financial, and infrastructural factors that influence different communities. The project includes four research thrusts: evaluating the effectiveness of current citation fine structures across different population groups, developing tailored safety messaging, creating a crowdsourced app to identify local safety concerns, and analyzing pedestrian crashes near transit stops to identify contributing factors. This comprehensive effort involves collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and interdisciplinary student participation from Engineering, Planning, and Public Policy departments. The project will engage with local communities through surveys, focus groups, and observational studies, and will use the UMassSafe Crash Data Warehouse for analysis. Expected outcomes include a proposed revision to the fine structure, targeted traffic safety campaigns, and a prototype of a community-informed app. The project also emphasizes student involvement in data analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and app testing, contributing to the broader goal of improving traffic safety and strengthening community engagement.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Active
  • Funding: $400000
  • Contract Numbers:

    69A3552348301

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

    University Transportation Centers Program
    Department of Transportation
    Washington, DC  United States  20590
  • Managing Organizations:

    University of Massachusetts, Amherst

    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    130 Natural Resources Road
    Amherst, MA  United States  01003
  • Performing Organizations:

    University of Massachusetts, Amherst

    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    130 Natural Resources Road
    Amherst, MA  United States  01003

    Holyoke Community College

    Holyoke, MA  United States 

    Bunker Hill Community College

    Boston, MA  United States 
  • Principal Investigators:

    Fitzpatrick, Cole

    Tainter, Francis

  • Start Date: 20240101
  • Expected Completion Date: 20250831
  • Actual Completion Date: 0
  • USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
  • Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01905250
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: New England University Transportation Center
  • Contract Numbers: 69A3552348301
  • Files: UTC, RIP
  • Created Date: Jan 22 2024 12:27PM