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Tribal Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Programs

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Several factors have been documented that place American Indian/Alaska Natives at increased risk for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), including low rates of seat belt use and child safety seat use and a high prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded projects within four American Indian/Alaska Native tribes during 2004-2009 to tailor, implement, and evaluate evidence-based road safety interventions as outlined in the CDC's Guide to Community Preventive Services.

The Tohono O-odham Nation (TON), located in the southwestern corner of Arizona, focused a comprehensive media campaign to increase compliance with a recently passed seat belt law and collaborated with tribal police to enhance enforcement of the seat belt law as well as reduce alcohol-impaired driving. The Ho-Chunk Nation (HCN) of Wisconsin partnered with local county police departments to educate and train police officers to increase enforcement of seat belt and child safety seat laws, distributed education and child safety seats, and educated the community through local events and crash simulations. The White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT) and San Carlos Apache Tribe (SCAT), both located in eastern Arizona, focused on increasing seat belt use and decreasing alcohol-impaired driving through media campaigns, sobriety checkpoints, and enhanced police enforcement of safety laws.

Goal / Mission

The goal of tribal motor vehicle injury prevention programs is to reduce disparities in rates of motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths.

Impact

Projects to increase motor vehicle safety on tribal reservations increased seat belt use among drivers, increased use of child safety seats, and decreased motor vehicle crashes.

Results / Accomplishments

During the five-year projects, the increase in observed driver use of seat belts ranged from 38% to 315% among the four tribal reservations. Observed use of child safety seats increased 45% on the TON reservation and 85% on the HCN reservation. A decrease in crashes with injuries was documented on the TON reservation (36% decrease), as was as a decrease in motor vehicle crashes on the SCAT reservation (29% decrease). Enhanced enforcement resulted in 388 DUI arrests on the TON reservation and 151 citations for seat belt nonuse on the HCN reservation. A cost-benefit analysis of the SCAT program found a savings of $2,710,000 during the project period. Two motor vehicle safety resolutions were passed on the SCAT reservation which did not require CDC funding: one lowered the legal BAC limit from 0.10% to 0.08%, and a second allowed officers to pull over a driver and issue a citation solely because of an unbuckled occupant.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
The Tohono O'odham Nation, the Ho-Chunk Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe
Primary Contact
Bethany A. West
770-488-0602
bwest2@cdc.gov
Topics
Community / Public Safety
Health / Prevention & Safety
Community / Governance
Organization(s)
The Tohono O'odham Nation, the Ho-Chunk Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe
Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Date of publication
4/18/2014
Date of implementation
2004
Location
Arizona and Wisconsin
For more details
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6301a6...
Target Audience
Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Additional Audience
American Indian

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Related Content for: Tribal Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Programs

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.