In 2014 in the United States, 32,675 people died in traffic-related incidents—more men, women, and children than the entire population of cities such as Wheeling, West Virginia. Or Highland Park, Illinois. Or Newark, Delaware.

Seeking to decrease the number of traffic-related fatalities, a strategic planning group including representatives from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA); and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation joined forces to conceive and execute pilot programs to help reduce traffic deaths through targeted high-visibility education and enforcement (HVEE) initiatives. Four U.S. states—Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Wisconsin—participated in the IACP-led effort with programs addressing specific local safety concerns between October 2015 and February 2016.