"Community-Centered Traffic Safety" is a research project focused on addressing the complex issue of traffic safety through a multifaceted, locally informed approach. Recognizing the limitations of uniform strategies, the project explores traffic safety challenges by considering varied cultural, financial, and infrastructural factors that influence different communities. The project includes four research thrusts: evaluating the effectiveness of current citation fine structures across different population groups, developing tailored safety messaging, creating a crowdsourced app to identify local safety concerns, and analyzing pedestrian crashes near transit stops to identify contributing factors.
This comprehensive effort involves collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and interdisciplinary student participation from Engineering, Planning, and Public Policy departments. The project will engage with local communities through surveys, focus groups, and observational studies, and will use the UMassSafe Crash Data Warehouse for analysis. Expected outcomes include a proposed revision to the fine structure, targeted traffic safety campaigns, and a prototype of a community-informed app. The project also emphasizes student involvement in data analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and app testing, contributing to the broader goal of improving traffic safety and strengthening community engagement.