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MDT Announces WTI-led Project as Winner of AASHTO High Value Research

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) announced a research project they nominated, the “Effectiveness of Highway Safety Public Education at Montana Motor Vehicle Registration Stations by Streaming a Variety of Safety Content,” has been recognized by AASHTO RAC Region 4 as a 2024 High Value Research award winner in the supplemental category of Safety, Security, and Emergencies.

Two chairs sit along a wall in a waiting room. A TV hangs on the far wall.

WTI conducted the research for this MDT-funded project to help drivers become more aware of how their conduct on the road can impact safety for all road users. Television monitors displaying safety videos were installed at select Motor Vehicle Divisions’ licensing and vehicle registration stations around Montana. WTI researchers selected the content, installed the equipment, and surveyed customers who had been exposed to the videos in the waiting rooms to see what they remembered about the content and messaging.

Each year, the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) asks state departments of transportation to identify and document recently completed “high-value” research projects. Through the identifications, the 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico engage in a friendly professional competition to determine the best high-value research based on region. Through this process, regions become familiar with what their counterparts consider high value.

“Getting this kind of recognition is really exciting because the competition is high,” said Rebecca Ridenour, MDT Research Section Supervisor “This project was selected by the 16 other states in our region from more than 40 research projects. Having the research recognized by our peer states as High Value means we are focusing on an important topic.”

For more information on this project, please

visit https://westerntransportationinstitute.org/research_projects/effectiveness-of-highway-safety-public-education-at-montana-motor-vehicle-registration-stations-by-streaming-a-variety-of-safety-content/