Traffic crashes are a significant source of loss of life, personal injury and financial expense in the United States. In 2008 there were 37,261 people killed and an estimated 2,346,000 people injured nationwide in motor vehicle traffic crashes. State and federal agencies are beginning to focus traffic safety improvement effort on local agency owned roads (city, county, village, town, etc.) because it has been shown that they pose an elevated crash risk with respect to exposure. There are significant challenges to improving traffic safety on local roads. There are over 39,000 local government agencies in the United States. These agencies own and maintain over 3,000,000 miles of public roads--approximately 75% of the nation's road system. It is commonly said in traffic engineering that there are three "E's" that are necessary for traffic safety activities to be successful--Engineering, Enforcement and Education. Anecdotally there is evidence that education plays a primary role in the success of traffic safety activities, however a method for evaluating this presumed relationship between education and the impact it may have on traffic safety activities within a local agency does not exist. This study develops a method for assessing the impact of traffic safety training on local agency staff using a modified Kirkpatrick training assessment and ethnographic research techniques. The study tests this framework in two field trials consisting of four training events per filed trial. Data gathered in the field trials was used to determine a relationship between training and traffic safety activities within local agencies, and assesses the benefit of educating technical staff (engineers and planners) and non-technical elected/appointed officials to create an increase in traffic safety related activity. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]