State Legislative Research

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NHTSA is responsible for reducing vehicle-related fatalities and injuries on our nation’s highways. Over the years, NHTSA has developed a significant body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of certain traffic safety laws, regulations and policies that can reduce traffic crashes. State legislatures effectuate traffic safety policy through enacting laws that aim to reduce fatalities and injuries due to motor vehicle crashes. In addition to other salient information, State legislators benefit from learning about the implementation and effectiveness of other jurisdictions’ traffic safety laws to provide a foundation to make informed decisions on effective traffic safety policy. Therefore, the tracking of laws, sharing of information regarding effectiveness and outcomes, legislative staff, and transportation stakeholders is critical to the public’s safety. Since it is vital that information regarding effective traffic safety laws and legislative trends be available to the groups mentioned above, NHTSA seeks to engage an organization that serves legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states and territories (hereafter, the term “State” will include the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories) to educate members of state legislatures to canvass and review the various state laws addressing traffic safety issues that can form the basis for new or improvements to existing state traffic safety laws. In addition, NHTSA seeks to identify best practices for members of state legislatures to communicate and cooperate both at the intrastate and interstate level to develop effective traffic safety laws. The information gathered, research conducted, and materials created would also be available to stakeholders and the public to benefit a larger understanding of the ways laws at the State level influence overall safety.