David J. Houston

Motorcyclist fatality rates and mandatory helmet-use laws

Using cross-sectional time series data for the 50 states and Washington, DC, covering the period 1975-2004, we estimate fixed effects regression models that examine the effects of universal and partial helmet laws on three different motorcyclist fatality rates, while controlling for other state policies and characteristics. Depending on the particular measure that is employed, states with universal helmet laws have motorcyclist fatality rates that are on average 22-33% lower in comparison to the experience with no helmet law. Additionally, partial coverage helmet laws are associated with reductions in motorcyclist fatality rates of 7-10%, on average.

Traffic safety and the switch to a primary seat belt law: the California experience

This study explores whether the change of an existing seat belt law from secondary to primary enforcement enhances traffic safety. In particular, we examine traffic fatalities and injuries in California from 1988 to 1997. During the first half of this period, California law provided for secondary enforcement of its mandatory seat belt law, but in 1993 it upgraded the law to primary enforcement. Controlling for the number of motor vehicle collisions, a Box-Tiao intervention analysis of the time series is used to compare the monthly fatalities and injuries before and after the change in the enforcement provision. The results show that California experienced an improvement in traffic safety in terms of a significant reduction in injuries, but the change in enforcement provision had no statistically significant impact on fatalities.

Motorcycle Safety and the Repeal of Universal Helmet Laws

OBJECTIVES We assessed the implications for motorcyclist safety of recent repeals of universal helmet laws in 6 US states. METHODS We examined cross-sectional time-series data from the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1975 through 2004. RESULTS On average, when compared to state experience with no helmet mandate, universal helmet laws were associated with an 11.1% reduction in motorcyclist fatality rates, whereas rates in states with partial coverage statutes were not statistically different from those with no helmet law. Furthermore, in the states in which recent repeals of universal coverage have been instituted, the motorcyclist fatality rate increased by an average of 12.2% over what would have been expected had universal coverage been maintained. Since 1997, an additional 615 motorcyclist fatalities have occurred in these states as a result of these changes in motorcycle helmet laws. CONCLUSIONS Motorcyclist safety has been compromised in the states that have repealed universal coverage and is likely to be compromised in other states that abandon these statutes.

Drinking-and-Driving in America: A Test of Behavioral Assumptions Underlying Public Policy

Since the 1980s, states have increasingly used sanctions to deter people from drinking-and-driving, but the effectiveness of these policies is questionable. The use of sanctions as policy tools rests on deterrence theory, but little is known about the appropriateness of its behavioral assumptions for the group targeted by policy—the drinking-driver. Employing a national survey of 4,008 respondents, we use logistic regression analysis to examine perceptions of punishment costs, the importance of individual versus societal costs, and policy preferences related to drink-driving. It was found that the perceptions of the punishment costs of drinking-and-driving are not consistent with basic hypotheses of deterrence theory. The results suggest that policies based on deterrence theory are likely to be least effective for the main target of these policies (frequent drink-drivers) and are likely to be unnecessary for non-drink-drivers. An alternative set of behavioral assumptions is provided that more closely fit the results obtained.

Safety Belt Use and the Switch to Primary Enforcement, 1991-2003

State seat belt laws have increased use rates and have reduced traffic fatalities, but tremendous variation exists in the laws. New Hampshire does not have a law, and 30 states have only secondary enforcement laws. Whereas primary enforcement allows an officer to issue a citation for any infraction, secondary enforcement permits a citation only if a motorist is stopped for another infraction first. We performed a cross-sectional time-series analysis of the impact of upgrading to primary enforcement on belt use rates for 47 states and the District of Columbia from 1991 to 2003. Our results suggest that states with secondary enforcement laws could increase belt use by 10 percentage points and improve public safety considerably by upgrading to primary enforcement.

Mandatory Seat Belt Laws in the States A Study of Fatal and Severe Occupant Injuries

This study examines the impact of mandatory seat belt laws on fatal and incapacitating injury rates in the states. Annual data for all 50 states for the period 1975-1991 are used. Pooled time series analysis is employed. The general conclusion that emerges from this analysis is that seat belt laws significantly impact state fatal injury rates. Primary enforcement and all-seat coverage provisions appear to be particularly effective in reducing fatality rates.

A Comparative Assessment of Public Administration Journal Publications

Recent critiques of public administration research have admonished scholars for the lack of rigor in their quantitative research. This study extends the ongoing debate by comparing research published in six public administration journals with that conducted in three related academic fields and three administratively focused practitioner-oriented fields. In general, it is found that public administration research is less oriented toward theory testing and is less quantitatively rigorous than that conducted in the academic fields. Although less conclusive, the findings of the comparison of practitioner-oriented fields suggest that although public administration research may not be atypical of that conducted in such fields, it cannot be counted among the more quantitatively rigorous of those fields.

Implications of the 65-MPH Speed Limit for Traffic Safety

This study evaluates the impact of the 65-mph speed limit on traffic safety. Using data for the years 1981 to 1995 for all 50 states, a pooled time series analysis is conducted. Separate models are estimated for state fatality rates on four categories of roads: rural interstate highways, rural noninterstate roads, all roads except for rural interstate highways, and all roads. It is reported that the 65-mph speed limit increased fatality rates on rural interstate highways but was correlated with a reduction in state fatality rates on the three other categories of roads.

Public Trust in Government Administrators: Explaining Citizen Perceptions of Trustworthiness and Competence

How much trust do citizens have in government administrators, and what explains the variation in their attitudes? As measured by responses in the General Social Survey, it is found that attitudes about the trustworthiness of administrators are more positive than what might be generally thought, and that substantial variation characterizes all trusting attitudes. Perceptions of trustworthiness are influenced by sociodemographic background and interpersonal trust, whereas competence is influenced by political party affiliation. External political efficacy and general assessments of government are significant correlates of both. Thus, perceptions of competence correlate with whether government is doing what citizens want, while perceptions of trustworthiness are influenced by experiences with bureaucrats. Efforts to reform the public bureaucracy with an eye toward increasing trust require strategies to increase the competence and trustworthiness of the public service.

The State of Public Personnel Research

This article examines the nature of empirical research in two public personnel journals by focusing on the purpose of published research, as well as the research designs and statistical techniques that are employed. The analysis indicates that public personnel scholars are actively engaged in the testing of empirical theory and the development of a cumulative knowledge base, although the methodological rigor of this research is at time lacking. Thus the current state of public personnel research deviates from the atheoretical and noncumulative nature characteristics of public administration research generally.