LESSONS LEARNED

Based on the results achieved, the WTSC and its Steering Committee reviewed the process and procedures for implementing this project, and offer the following thoughts:

Planning Process

The partnership with NHTSA, FMCSA (both headquarters and regional offices), and the various State and local organizations on the Steering Committee were value added and productive. Collective knowledge and collaboration were important to the success of the project. The partnership between law enforcement and the Washington Trucking Association in conducting enforcement was an unusual approach and is recommended for other States to consider.

It would have been useful to have had three years of crash data instead of the two years that were used in assessing the highest risk corridors. Even so, measuring a change in the crash statistics will be difficult because of the relatively low number of commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle crashes in the State of Washington over the course of a year. Intermediate measures are necessary.

In reviewing the length of the corridors, it would have been better to have law enforcement conduct additional enforcement trials. Had this been done, WTSC would have most likely recommended expanding the Olympia corridor further south to where the highway reduces from three lanes to two. Later observations suggest that this merging from three lanes to two, creates additional aggressive driving violations and would be an interesting situation to evaluate.