Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT)

enforcement

In 2009, the Minnesota Departments of Transportation (MnDOT) and Public Safety (DPS), with the Minnesota State Patrol, initiated the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) program, a statewide, three-year aggressive driving enforcement and education campaign to improve roadway safety. This collaborative effort targets one of the more ubiquitous, high-risk driving behaviors—speeding—while promoting compliance with all traffic safety laws.

HEAT enforcement corridors were collaboratively selected by MnDOT, MnDOT district traffic engineers, and Minnesota state troopers. Criteria for corridor selection included over-representation of fatal and serious-injury crashes and trooper observation of drivers’ behavior. The HEAT enforcement campaigns were completed through officer overtime hours from the Minnesota State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies. The DPS coordinated the HEAT education campaign, and MnDOT provided the data analyses to support project planning, administrative decisions, and the outcome evaluation.