MUARC'S SPEED ENFORCEMENT RESEARCH: PRINCIPLES LEARNT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE (original) (raw)
Related papers
1992
A major speed camera program was launched in April 1990 in Victoria which involved a dramatic increase in the detection of speeding offenders and a multi-million dollar, Statewide publicity campaign through all mass media. This report describes Phases 1 and 2 of an evaluation study examining its effects on crashes. Phase 1 examined the general effects Victoria-wide, in Melbourne, and in the rest of the State separately, and Phase 2 attempted to link the effects to the various speeding deterrence mechanisms (both specific and general deterrence) associated with the program.
Overall impact of speed-related initiatives and factors on crash outcomes
Annual proceedings / Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 2007
From December 2000 until July 2002 a package of speed-related initiatives and factors took place in Victoria, Australia. The broad aim of this study was to evaluate the overall impact of the package on crash outcomes. Monthly crash counts and injury severity proportions were assessed using Poisson and logistic regression models respectively. The model measured the overall effect of the package after adjusting as far as possible for non-speed road safety initiatives and socio-economic factors. The speed-related package was associated with statistically significant estimated reductions in casualty crashes and suggested reductions in injury severity with trends towards increased reductions over time. From December 2000 until July 2002, three new speed enforcement initiatives were implemented in Victoria, Australia. These initiatives were introduced in stages and involved the following key components: More covert operations of mobile speed cameras, including flash-less operations; 50% i...
Annual proceedings / Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 2003
The objective was to measure the presence of any interaction between the effect of mobile covert speed camera enforcement and the effect of intensive mass media road safety publicity with speed-related themes. During 1999, the Victoria Police varied the levels of speed camera activity substantially in four Melbourne police districts according to a systematic plan. Camera hours were increased or reduced by 50% or 100% in respective districts for a month at a time, during months when speed-related publicity was present and during months when it was absent. Monthly frequencies of casualty crashes, and their severe injury outcome, in each district during 1996-2000 were analysed to test the effects of the enforcement, publicity and their interaction. Reductions in crash frequency were associated monotonically with increasing levels of speed camera ticketing, and there was a statistically significant 41% reduction in fatal crash outcome associated with very high camera activity. High publ...
Speed cameras in Sweden and Victoria, Australia—A case study
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2010
In this article, the ideas behind two different speed camera systems in Australia, Victoria, and Sweden are explored and compared. The study shows that even if the both systems technically have the same aim -to reduce speeding -the ideas of how that should be achieved differ substantially. The approach adopted in Victoria is based on the concept that speeding is a deliberate offence in which a rational individual wants to drive as fast as possible and is prepared to calculate the costs and benefits of his behaviour. Therefore, the underlying aim of the intervention is to increase the perceived cost of committing an offence whilst at the same time decrease the perceived benefits, so that the former outweigh the latter. The Swedish approach, on the other hand, appears to be based on a belief that road safety is an important priority for the road users and one of the reasons to why road users drive too fast is lack of information and social support.
Generalised linear models of road trauma outcomes have been found to be a powerful way of representing the trends and variations over time and to explain the effects of influential factors such as countermeasure initiatives. This report covers their application to monthly casualty crash frequencies and injury severity outcomes in Victoria during 1998. During 2000, the mobile speed camera program in Victoria was changed by introducing "flashless" camera operations during daytime and other modifications to make the enforcement more covert and unpredictable, increasing the targeted camera operating hours from 4200 to 6000 hours per month, and reducing the speeding offence detection threshold in three stages. In December 2002, the thresholds for penalties applying to different levels of speeding offence were generally reduced by 5 km/h. Associated with the speed enforcement initiatives was a program of speed-related advertising known as the "Wipe Off 5" campaign launched in early August 2001 without specific reference to the enforcement changes. A subsequent announcement took place in late November 2001 specifically mentioning the more covert speed camera operations as well as the increase in camera hours. A third announcement took place in the print media at the end of March 2002, emphasising that the former 9 km/h speeding tolerance no longer applied. As well as the enforcement changes, the statistical models included the reduced urban speed limit in January 2001, the penalty restructure, the speed-related advertising and the announcements, plus the impact of the fixed speed camera controversy that arose in late 2003.
Speeding in Metropolitan Adelaide: A Situation Analysis
2002
The current situation in speeding and speed related crashes in metropolitan Adelaide was examined to assist in the development of a combined anti-speeding media and enforcement campaign. A review of the literature on 'best practice' speed enforcement and anti-speeding publicity in metropolitan areas within Australia was conducted. Road crash statistics from the Traffic Accident Reporting System (TARS) database were analysed although it was found that the database did not contain comprehensive or reliable information on the incidence of speeding in crashes. Additionally, speed enforcement strategies by police were assessed. Market research was undertaken to determine self reported attitudes and behaviours to speeding in metropolitan Adelaide amongst targeted demographic groups. Five focus groups were also conducted to explore specific attitudes and behaviours further. These research findings have implications for reducing the prevalence of speeding behaviour in metropolitan A...
2007
Generalised linear models of road trauma outcomes have been found to be a powerful way of representing the trends and variations over time and to explain the effects of influential factors such as countermeasure initiatives. This report covers their application to monthly casualty crash frequencies and injury severity outcomes in Victoria during 1998 to 2003. During 2000 to 2002, the mobile speed camera program in Victoria was changed by introducing "flashless" camera operations during daytime and other modifications to make the enforcement more covert and unpredictable, increasing the targeted camera operating hours from 4200 to 6000 hours per month, and reducing the speeding offence detection threshold in three stages. In December 2002, the thresholds for penalties applying to different levels of speeding offence were generally reduced by 5 km/h. Associated with the speed enforcement initiatives was a program of speed-related advertising known as the "Wipe Off 5" campaign launched in early August 2001 without specific reference to the enforcement changes. A subsequent announcement took place in late November 2001 specifically mentioning the more covert speed camera operations as well as the increase in camera hours. A third announcement took place in the print media at the end of March 2002, emphasising that the former 9 km/h speeding tolerance no longer applied. As well as the enforcement changes, the statistical models included the reduced urban speed limit in January 2001, the penalty restructure, the speed-related advertising and the announcements, plus the impact of the fixed speed camera controversy that arose in late 2003. The study concluded that generalised linear modelling of crash outcomes as a function of potential explanatory factors needs realistic assumptions to be made about viable functional forms connecting a measure of each factor and the outcomes. The assumed functional form of the relationship between monthly speed camera hours and road trauma appears to represent this relationship well. There is doubt that the flashless speed camera initiative and the enforcement threshold reductions have been adequately represented in the monthly crash outcome models. It was concluded that the effect of these initiatives on crash outcomes is unknown at this stage. The assumed functional form of the relationship between monthly speed-related advertising levels and road trauma appears to represent this relationship well. The speed-related television advertising had a statistically significant association with a decrease in monthly casualty crash frequencies during times of increased advertising levels. In general the relationships connecting speed camera hours and levels of speed-related advertising with road trauma reductions in Victoria confirmed previous research on the effectiveness of these road safety programs as operated in the State.
Exceeding the Speed Limit: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Police Intervention
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 1996
Driving too fast is probably one of the main contributors to the occurrence and severity of road accidents, and intention to speed is an important predictor of exceeding speed limits. This study examined the effect of a police intervention on exceeding the posted speed limit (speed of vehicles on the target road) and on intentions to speed (attitude questionnaire). The intervention consisted of a week in which 'police speed check area' warning signs were put up on the target 40 mph limit road, followed by a week of active police presence, followed by a further week in which the signs remained. The speed of vehicles was measured using police data collection equipment for a total of 7 weeks. The effect on the intentions of drivers using the road to exceed speed limits was assessed across age, sex and pre-intervention speeding behaviour using questionnaire measures. Fewer people broke the speed limit during the intervention than before, this effect lasting to a limited extent up to 9 weeks after police activity ceased and 8 weeks after signs were removed. The effect on drivers breaking the speed limit by large amounts was more transient. The intervention reduced intention to speed for subject groupings with high pre-intervention intention. Traffic flow contributed significantly to the variance in vehicle speed, but was not responsible for differences between the weeks, which may therefore be attributed to the intervention. Traffic flow also did not account for differences in speed between the two directions of traffic, which may therefore be attributed to the fact that the road areas preceding the target area in each direction differed in their speed limits (70 vs 30 mph). Intentions to speed, as well as speed adaptation difficulties are thought to contribute to these differences.
Evaluation of the Crash Effects of Victoria's Fixed Digital Speed and Red-Light Cameras
The aim of this study was to evaluate the crash effects of 87 signed fixed digital speed and red light (FDSRL) cameras and accompanying warning signs placed at 77 signalised intersections across Victoria. Fixed Speed cameras have been shown to be generally effective at decreasing crash rates whilst the effectiveness of Red Light Cameras (RLCs) to reduce crashes has been studied on many occasions with mixed results. The use of combination speed and red light fixed camera enforcement is relatively uncommon and has not been previously evaluated. Data were analysed using a before-after quasi-experimental design incorporating controls and Poisson regression to calculate the adjusted percentage reduction in the number of casualty crashes at treated sites in the post-treatment period when compared with the pre-treatment period. Analysis results estimated large decreases in casualty crashes associated with the FDSRL cameras and their associated signage. When only the crashes involving vehicles travelling form the approach intersection leg where the camera was placed are considered, the estimated casualty crash reduction was 47% (95% CI:(36, 56), p<0.0001). When crashes involving vehicles from all approaches are compared, the estimated casualty crash reduction was 26% (95% CI:(16, 35), p<0.0001). A 44% reduction (95% CI:(31, 64), p<0.0001) in right angle and right turn against crashes, those particularly targeted by red light enforcement, was also estimated. Whilst use of the FDSRL cameras was associated with a reduction in overall casualty crash risk, there was no evidence for a reduction in relative crash severity meaning the cameras were associated with equal reductions in minor injury crashes as serious injury and fatal crashes. Across the 77 intersection where the cameras evaluated were installed, it was estimated that 17 serious or fatal crashes per year and 39 minor injury crashes would be prevented representing crash cost savings to the community of over $8M. Based on the outcomes of the evaluation, continued and expanded use of combined fixed red-light and speed cameras in Victoria is expected to improve driver safety, save lives and reduce crash related costs.