Misleading Statements about Enforcement Partnerships

Diverting traffic safety $ to road construction

The report claims much credit for the Department's use of traffic safety bureau funds to underwrite construction safety but does not point out that progressive states make safety a top priority in their construction program and budgets themselves, rather than raiding limited traffic safety funding to subsidize construction programs.  Safety should be the top construction priority, but construction should not be the top traffic safety bureau program -- the Department's own data show less than 1% of traffic deaths for 1995-1999 in construction areas, and potential life-saving from running effective safety programs overall would far exceed any potential gains from diverting precious traffic safety funding to construction purposes.  The report reveals none of this, nor does it discuss the impact of the 2000 decision to divert $1 million from 402 federal traffic safety funding to rebuild the Rio Bravo at Broadway intersection (two deaths in 14 years), $220,000 from traffic safety funds to railroad grade crossings (1% of crash deaths), and $600,000 to vanpool administration, none of which will have nearly as much effect as strong safety programs funded at the same levels.

Promoting off-target safety efforts

The report also claims credit that kids "returned to school safely" with its funding for police elementary school zone enforcement, but its own databases show that, of 1995-1999 school-day school-hour crash injuries to school-age children, 94% of the injuries occur in vehicles, not in school zones, and 75% involve kids in middle school or high school excluded from the program. These analysis includes compensation for the Department's miscoding of 1999 crash times that put 41% of all 1999 crashes at a time of 12 noon.

Claiming Old as New

The Department takes credit as new in 2000 for efforts that have gone on for many years, such a Cops in Shops, a program in New Mexico since 1992.

Falsely claiming program expansion

The report claims the Operation DWI and Operation Buckle Down programs were expanded in 2000, when in reality the programs were cut from 12 blitzes per year that Governor Johnson promised to four, instead.  DWI arrests fell to their lowest level in eleven years, according to the most recent data from the Department, even though DWI deaths rose.  Seat belt use dropped.  All of this is concealed from the reader.

Last updated 01/13/01