This presentation was shared at the 2015 Texas Impaired Driving Forum by Major Palmer of TxDPS

1. For Official Use Only
Using Data to Combat Impaired
Driving
Texas A&M Transporta?on Ins?tute
Statewide Impaired Driving Forum
2015
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Texas Highway Patrol Division
Highway Safety Opera?ons Center

2. For Official Use Only
• Mission: To enhance statewide highway and public safety by
collec?ng, analyzing, evalua?ng, and dissemina?ng informa?on
related to criminal ac?vity, crashes, and traffic enforcement.
• The Highway Safety Opera?ons Center (HSOC) is tasked with the
judicious collec?on of data on highway-related criminal ac?vity,
crashes, and traffic enforcement; centralizing the data for ?mely
sta?s?cal and trend analysis; and decentralizing the informa?on
through dissemina?on to the Texas Department of Public Safety
(DPS) and partner agencies.
HSOC Mission and Overview

3. For Official Use Only
• Crash Fatality Dashboard
– Trend analysis sta?s?cs sent to DPS Leadership and legisla?ve members
• Highway Safety Assessment (HSA)
– Overview of all state and local inves?gated fatal crashes, HAZMAT crashes,
and crimes against children events
• Special Request Projects
– Data requests from State Troopers and local law enforcement
– Reports for the Texas State Legislature
Analy?cal/Data Products

4. For Official Use Only
• Data analysis on crashes, traffic enforcement, and
criminal ac?vity could greatly benefit in comba?ng
impaired driving.
– U?lizing data and trend analysis in certain areas to determine if
DWI or other “impaired” incidents are increasing or decreasing
over specific ?me periods.
• U?lizing data and trend analysis to determine patrol loca?ons, ?mes, and days of the week
to have the greatest impact in the preven?on and reduc?on of impaired driving and
impaired driving crashes.
– Comparing the rates of DWI serious injury crashes on
special event and holiday weekends to non-holidays.
Analysis of Highway Data

5. For Official Use Only
Using Data
Holiday Comparison of DWI Serious Injury Crashes
Year
Statewide DWI
Involved Serious
Injury Crashes
(Non-Holiday)
% of Total Statewide
DWI Involved Serious
Injury Crashes
(Non-Holiday)
*Average Number
of Serious Injury
Crashes per Day
(Non-Holiday)
Statewide DWI
Involved Serious
Injury Crashes
(Holiday)
% of Total Statewide
DWI Involved Serious
Injury Crashes
(Holiday)
*Average Number
of Serious Injury
Crashes per Day
(Holiday)
Rate Difference
2010 6,287 10.44% 18.82 861 12.05% 27.77 8.95
2011 5,949 10.20% 17.81 852 12.53% 27.48 9.67
2012 6,196 9.73% 18.55 841 11.95% 27.13 8.58
2013 5,723 8.73% 17.13 909 13.71% 29.32 12.19
2014 5,492 8.29% 16.44 921 14.36% 29.71 13.27
5 YEAR TOTAL 29,647 9.44% 17.75 4,384 12.88% 28.28 10.53
1
6
11
16
21
26
31
36
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Crash Rate Comparison:
Serious Injury Crashes
per day
Non-Holiday
Holiday
Using DPS and TXDOT databases, we can
analyze large data sets in order to iden?fy
possible palerns. This example highlights how
the rate of serious injury crashes involving DWI
is much higher on holiday weekends.
Iden?fying palerns like the above example can beler
assist both state and local law enforcement to develop
strategies to combat traffic issues.
Note: Data current as of January 23, 2015, and are subject to change.

6. For Official Use Only
Year
Statewide DWI
Involved Fatal
Crashes
(Non-Holiday)
% of Total Statewide
DWI Involved Fatal
Crashes (Non-Holiday)
*Average Number
of Fatal Crashes per
Day (Non-Holiday)
Statewide DWI
Involved Fatal
Crashes (Holiday)
% of Total
Statewide DWI
Involved Fatal
Crashes (Holiday)
*Average Number
of Fatal Crashes
per Day (Holiday)
Rate Difference
2010 784 28.19% 2.35 104 11.71% 3.35 1.00
2011 747 26.65% 2.24 113 13.14% 3.64 1.40
2012 753 24.79% 2.25 114 13.15% 3.67 1.42
2013 784 25.70% 2.35 124 13.66% 4.00 1.65
2014 711 22.95% 2.13 133 15.76% 4.29 2.16
5 YEAR TOTAL 3,779 25.59% 2.26 588 13.46% 3.79 1.53
6
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Crash Rate Comparison:
Fatal Crashes per day
Non-Holiday
Holiday
Special Holidays and
Events encompass about
8.49% of the days in a
year. However, 13.46% of
fatal crashes alributed to
DWI occur in that small
?meframe.
The average number of
fatal crashes per day on
holidays has not only been
approximately 1.53 crashes
higher in the previous 5
years, but has increased
year by year since 2010.
Note: Data current as of January 23, 2015, and are subject to change.
Using Data
Holiday Comparison of DWI Fatal Crashes

7. For Official Use Only
Using Data
Area Specific DWI Crashes and Arrests
HP 2B01 - Jefferson County
Day of Week
Alcohol Related Crashes - DPS DWI Related Crashes - DPS DWI Arrests - DPS
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Weekday
Monday 6 4 6 7 3 2 0 1 1 1 15 22 26 17 19
Tuesday 4 7 5 9 8 2 2 1 4 1 16 18 14 19 13
Wednesday 6 7 5 2 8 1 3 1 1 2 21 19 27 17 16
Thursday 10 7 8 10 1 5 0 2 3 0 33 23 32 21 21
Weekday Total 26 25 24 28 20 10 5 5 9 4 85 82 99 74 69
% of Total 35.62% 40.98% 36.36% 51.85% 28.17% 38.46% 26.32% 29.41% 64.29% 26.67% 36.80% 34.31% 38.67% 36.63% 41.57%
Weekend
Friday 12 15 14 10 8 4 7 5 2 1 39 51 34 21 18
Saturday 20 9 11 10 22 9 3 2 2 5 64 59 75 65 35
Sunday 15 12 17 6 21 3 4 5 1 5 43 47 48 42 44
Weekend Total 47 36 42 26 51 16 14 12 5 11 146 157 157 128 97
% of Total 64.38% 59.02% 63.64% 48.15% 71.83% 61.54% 73.68% 70.59% 35.71% 73.33% 63.20% 65.69% 61.33% 63.37% 58.43%
Total 73 61 66 54 71 26 19 17 14 15 231 239 256 202 166
Data can be analyzed at the statewide level, as well as broken down by specific region, district
and area. As the above chart shows, further breakdown can reveal what days (and ?mes, if
necessary) that incidents are commonly occurring. This concentrated level of analysis can help
officers make more informed tac?cal decisions.

8. For Official Use Only
• Sta?s?cal trend analysis of criminal, crash, and traffic
enforcement and incidents on major corridors and other
highways on a 24/7 basis.
• Rapid assessment of specific incidents.
– Suspicious Ac?vity repor?ng
– Major highway crashes and incidents
– Crimes against children/kidnapping
– Highway drug and currency seizures
Goals/Objec?ves

9. For Official Use Only 3/4/2015 9
HSOC Contacts
Highway Safety OperaOons Center
General InformaOon/Requests: TXHSOC@dps.texas.gov
Event/Incident ReporOng: TXHSOC.Events@dps.texas.gov
• David Palmer, Major – Highway Safety Opera?ons Center, (512) 424-2099
David.Palmer@dps.texas.gov
• Kenneth Musick, Captain – Highway Safety Opera?ons Center, (512) 424-2873
Kenneth.Musick@dps.texas.gov
• Kevin Wilkie, Captain – Highway Safety Opera?ons Center, (512) 424-2128
Kevin.Wilkie@dps.texas.gov