Despite training to handle the operation of motor vehicles under a variety of road, weather, and situational conditions, a substantial proportion of police vehicles are involved in collisions on an annual basis (Becker, Zaloshnja, Levick, Li, & Miller, 2003; Lundalv, Philipson, & Sarre, 2010). This is not unexpected given that police officers typically spend half of their shift in their vehicles (Plecas, McCormick, & Cohen, 2011). Moreover, police often multi-task while driving by using their mobile data terminals, cell phones, or other equipment, even when travelling at high speeds (Anderson, Courtney, Plecas, & Chamberlin, 2005; Cohen, Plecas, Mahaffy, & Levine, 2009; Plecas et al., 2011). Thus, routine travel by police in the context of their on-duty activities increases their risk relative to the general population of being involved in or injured from a motor vehicle collision (Becker et al., 2003).
