Police Roadside Safety: Training and Education
NIJ supports the development of Web-based tools that help improve the safety of law enforcement officers, firefighters and other emergency responders on the roadways, including:
ResponderSafety.com Exit Notice: has the latest news and training on roadside safety. It also lists recent cases of responders who were injured or killed by vehicles while on duty. With support from NIJ, the U.S. Fire Administration and the International Fire Service Training Association worked with the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association's Emergency Responder Safety Institute to create the site.
Web-based training: The U.S. Fire Administration and the International Fire Service Training Association, with the International Association of Firefighters, are developing Web-based training to improve response and roadway safety for the fire service. NIJ and the U.S. Fire Administration are working to expand this program to cover all emergency responders, including law enforcement. When complete, the training program will be available at Exit Notice.
Public Service Announcements (PSAs): NIJ helps fund the creation of public service announcements to increase public awareness of the importance of roadside safety for law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders. The PSAs will inform the public of the hazards and requested actions to be taken when they drive in the vicinity of emergency vehicles, urging drivers to "slow down, move over."
This public service announcement was used in a research project to test the effectiveness such announcements on changing driver behavior. Learn more from the full report Determining the Relative Impact of PSAs and Brochures upon General Public Drivers Interfacing With Emergency Service Vehicles (pdf, 48 pages).
