officer Traffic Safety National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund September 2012

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1 officer Traffic Safety National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund September 2012

2 Did you know? On average, a law enforcement officer is killed somewhere in the U.S. every 54 hours There are some 60,000 criminal assaults against our officers every year, resulting in 16,000 injuries STILL... some 900,000 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers go out every day to serve and protect their communities 2

3 Recent Law Enforcement Safety Trends

Average Annual Number of Officers Killed by Decade 250 200 150 129 232 212 115 116 155 229

4 Average Annual Number of Officers Killed by Decade s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

5 Officer Fatalities: Total Fatalities Down 28%

6 Firearms-related Fatalities: Firearms-related Fatalities Down 44%

7 Officers Killed in Auto Crashes: Auto Crash Fatalities Down 9% 41 7

8 Average Traffic Fatalities Per Decade: % Increase 2000s 1980s 1960s

9 Profile of Officers Killed: 2011 Of the 163 officers killed in Average age: 41 years old Average length of service: 12 years 161 (94%) were male; 11 (6%) were female 9

10 Officer Fatalities: 2009 v % Change Total Fatalities % Firearms-related % Traffic-related % Other Causes % Lowest in 50 years 10

11 NHTSA /Memorial Fund Respond NHTSA partnered with the Memorial Fund and others to reduce number of traffic-related officer fatalities Raising awareness about traffic-related officer fatalities and traffic safety issues Conducting research, compiling data, creating quarterly research bulletins, sharing and distributing information, spreading the word via web and social media, i.e. Recently Fallen alerts Go to for daily updates 11

12 Officer Fatalities: 2010 v % Change Total Fatalities % Firearms-related % Traffic-related % Other Causes % 12

13 Officer Fatalities: 2011 v (as of September 18, 2012) % Change Total Fatalities % Firearms-related % Traffic-related % Other Causes % 13

14 Statistical Trends in Traffic-Related Officer Fatalities

15 The Big Picture 19,660 Officers on the Memorial Firearms-related deaths: 10,973 (56%) Traffic-related deaths: 5,449 (28%) Auto crashes: 2,897 Motorcycle crashes: 1,272 Struck and killed: 1,271 Bicycle accidents: 9 Other causes: 3,238 (16%) 15

16 Traffic-related Fatalities Traffic-related incidents number one cause of officer fatalities for 13 years in a row through : First time in 14 years firearms-related fatalities outnumbered traffic-related Third lowest number of traffic-related fatalities in last 15 years 16

17 Traffic-related Fatalities: 2011 v Traffic-related Fatalities: Traffic-related Fatalities: 71 Auto Crashes 41 Struck and Killed 11 Motorcycle Crashes 5 Train 2 Auto Crashes 50 Struck and Killed 14 Motorcycle Crashes 6 Bicycle 1 17

18 Concerns about Law Enforcement Traffic Safety

19 Areas of Concern Past two years more than 30% of officers killed in the line of duty were not wearing body armor when they died (vests save lives in non-firearms related incidents) 42% of officers killed in auto crashes last three decades were not wearing seat belts 38% of officers killed in auto crashes last year were singlevehicle crashes 19

20 Auto Crash Fatalities: A Closer Look Collisions vs. Single-Vehicle (2011): (62%) Collisions 16 (38%) Single-Vehicle 20

21 Auto Crash Fatalities: A Closer Look Circumstances of 41 Auto Crash Fatalities in 2011 Assisting another officer/ Routine Patrol: 25 fatalities Related to Criminal Enforcement Activity: 9 fatalities Traffic Pursuit: 7 fatalities 21

22 Officers Struck and Killed: Number of officers struck and killed by vehicles decreased 46% in the past decade ( ) Officers Struck and Killed in 2001: 24 Officers Struck and Killed in 2010: 11 Of the 11 officers struck and killed in 2011, four (36%) died in incidents involving spike sticks A total of 23 officers have been killed while deploying spike sticks since the first such incident in

23 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage

24 Preventing Preventable Deaths Seat Belt Usage Among All US Drivers: % 85% 24 Wearing Seat Belts Not Wearing Seatbelts

10 9 22 (55%) wearing seat belts 25 22 Not Wearing Seat Belts

25 Preventing Preventable Deaths Seat Belt Usage Among Officers Killed in Auto Crashes: 2011 Of 41 officers killed in auto crashes in 2011: (55%) wearing seat belts Not Wearing Seat Belts Wearing Seat Belts Unknown 9 (21%) not wearing seat belts 10 (24%) unknown

26 Preventing Preventable Deaths Is Today Your Day? 26

27 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage Reduce Impact of Drunk Driving

28 Preventing Preventable Deaths Officers Killed by Drunk Drivers Increased by 43% over last 4 decades

29 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage Reduce Impact of Drunk Driving Enhance Officer Visibility

30 Enhance Officer Visibility Officers Struck and Killed (153) 56% Nighttime Incidents 44% Daytime Incidents 30

31 Enhance Officer Visibility New Federal Regulations Revisions to Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUCTD) December 2009 Requires high-visibility safety apparel for law enforcement while directing traffic, investigating crashes, handling lane closures, etc. 31

32 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage Reduce Impact of Drunk Driving Enhance Officer Visibility Educate the Public

33 Continue to Educate the Public Promote Move Over Laws Enacted in 49 states; no laws in Hawaii or DC 71% of public has never heard of Move Over law Memorial Fund Drive Safely Campaign (since 2006) Reduce officer injuries/deaths on roadways 33

34 Other Concerns Distracted driving Economy Driver fatigue Driver training Safety equipment 34

35 Safety Measures to be Considered Training and Policy Changes Emergency responses Spike stick deployment Distracted driving Increased Use of Seat Belts User friendly innovations Tougher Enforcement of Drunk Driving Laws Increased Use of High Visibility Apparel 35 Increased Promotion of Move Over Laws

36 For More Information Craig W. Floyd National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (202)

Officer Safety on our Roadways

Lifesavers 30th National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities Officer Safety on our Roadways June 15, 2012 Craig W. Floyd Chairman & CEO National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Memorial Fund