Share The Road

KANSAS

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  High media visibility   Motorcycle Safety
  Innovative or non-traditional approach Alcohol and Other Drugs
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  General Population   2,595,000


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1996, the Kansas Bureau of Traffic Safety reported 737 crashes involving motorcycles, 21 of which included a fatality. During this time, although motorcycles comprised 2 percent of all registered motor vehicles in the state, motorcycle riders and passengers accounted for 4.3 percent of all fatal crashes. Because two-thirds of all motorcycle crashes involving another vehicle were the error of the other vehicle, traffic safety specialists surmised a twofold problem: motorcycle riders not wearing protective head gear, and other drivers not aware of motorcycle riders.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of the Share The Road motorcycle safety campaign was to reduce crash-related injuries and fatalities involving motorcycles using the following unique objectives:


STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The Share The Road project was developed as a result of mid-project analyses of a broader motorcycle safety effort initiated in 1995. Although motorcycle safety efforts had generally improved Kansas crash statistics involving motorcycle riders, traffic safety professionals recognized the need for a non-traditional approach to achieving more positive results. Initial traffic safety efforts had targeted motorcycle riders, however, the new approach targeted the general population. The primary strategy was an intensive motorcycle safety media campaign that featured the following activities:

RESULTS
The motorcycle safety campaign was conducted during the 1997 fiscal year and was tested at the end of the fiscal year in September 1997. A survey was developed and distributed randomly to 200 motorcycle riders and motorists identified through various mailing lists. Sixty-four surveys (32 percent) were returned. The surveys measured public awareness of the media campaign through response to questions such as:

  • Are you aware of the motorcycle safety campaign, Share The Road?
  • Have you seen one of the motorcycle safety campaign billboards?
  • What factors would improve your chance of avoiding a crash?

The responses to the campaign were positive, and the Kansas Bureau of Traffic Safety anticipates a decrease in motorcycle fatalities and injuries due in part to the success of the program.

FUNDING
  Section 402:

$78,459

CONTACT  
  Debra Sinclair
Kansas Bureau of Traffic Safety
217 Southeast Fourth
Topeka, KS 66603
(785) 296–3756


National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Winter 1998