The research in this report demonstrates that both crashes and crime are spatially clustered and can be affected by police visibility and contacts. An effective strategic approach must maximize efforts in spatial clustering of crash and crime to be the most economical and impactful. Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS 2.0) is an operational model supported by a partnership among NHTSA and several major national law enforcement agencies. DDACTS integrates location-based traffic crash, crime, calls for service, contacts, and officer-initiated activity data to establish effective and efficient methods for deploying law enforcement resources. By identifying areas through temporal and spatial analysis that have high incidences of crashes and crime, DDACTS encourages the deployment of highly visible police presence and police contacts to affect these areas. This model affords communities the dual benefit of reducing traffic crashes and crime in the same area, thus reducing overall social harm. Drawing on the deterrent value of highly visible police presence and the knowledge that crimes often involve the use of motor vehicles, the goal of DDACTS is to help agencies reduce the incidence of crashes, crime, and social harm in communities across the country.
