Application of Behavior Change Theory to the Development

BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORY
differential scale to ensure more reliable scoring. Currently, the scoring is too
idiosyncratic.
Conclusions
This study draws a distinction between treatment effects noted in the studies designed
to assess the associations between treatment letters and outcome measures (McBride &
Peck, 1970) and those effects recorded in the course of an institutionalized NOTES
program such as the seven reports Marsh produced between 1985 and 1995.
Jones (1997), referring to the results of his studies, as well as those by Kaestner, et al.
(1965) and McBride and Peck (1970), reported, “One of the most well-established and
useful principles in the regulation of problem drivers is that driver improvement letters
work; and personalized, low threat letters work better than high threat, impersonal
letters.” Indeed, the McBride and Peck study confirmed the intuitions traffic safety
professionals expressed regarding the potential that letter treatments held for driver
improvement.
Nevertheless, Jones’ observation and McBride and Peck’s conclusions have more to say
about the need for further research into the components that explain why letters are
effective, than about the conduct and results of institutionalized negligent operator
programs, such as the Marsh (1985-1995) studies. In that series, the researcher appears
to have been denied control over the modification and distribution of the treatment
letters. Archived letters with different contents are dated in the same year. Six, or
more, different letters were issued during the subject selection period for at least one
study. And, every study in the entire series of evaluations appears to have contained
two or more treatment letters. No documentation was found to indicate the dates on
which new letters were substituted for old. Obviously, no single treatment or
combination of treatments can be identified as being responsible for the significant
effects.
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that any contact from a traffic safety regulatory
agency will produce positive effects, given the strong research designs that
characterized Marsh’s (1985-1995) research. However, McBride and Peck (1970) have
shown that stronger effects can be expected if a research program is initiated to increase
the quality of the treatment letters.
The TTM is a theory of change that incorporates most of the recommendations that
traffic safety researchers have been recommending over a period of 50 years. While the
TTM was developed independent of the traffic safety field, it addresses issues that are
common to traffic safety. In addition, it has been used extensively and has been
successfully validated with recalcitrant populations to address problems once thought
to be immutable. It likely would be a useful model to guide the development of an
enhanced negligent operator treatment and evaluation system.
Recommendations
1. A negligent operator treatment and evaluation system, with an enhanced
component designed to conduct ongoing research into the effective elements of
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