The Positive Impact of Speed Enforcement on Traffic Safety – Case Studies (Presentation 743)

Countries all over the world are facing a continuously rising traffic volume. Due to this reason an expansion of the transport infrastructure and safer roads is necessary. Regarding to the WHO there were app. 1.25 m total fatalities in 2016 and about 50 m more people suffered non-fatal injuries. So the reduction of traffic related fatalities and injuries is high on the agenda in these countries. Those striving to implement a “Vision Zero” approach on their roads however have one even more powerful tool: reducing the speed on their roads and thus reducing the likelihood of crashes and the impact of accidents. In the following cases, a considerate reduction of overall driven speeds could be achieved. As a consequence, the numbers of persons killed and injured could be reduced as well.
Countries in the Middle East face the highest rates of traffic death worldwide. In 2010, modern speed and red-light enforcement systems have been deployed all over Saudi Arabia. The systems have helped to reduce the number of road traffic fatalities in the capital Riyadh. The fatality rate fell by 38 percent in just four months.
In 2010, the state of Maryland piloted the SafeZones program where speed cameras mounted on vehicles were deployed. After that a major drop down in the rate of citations issued was registered. In the beginning 7 out of 100 drivers were exceeding the speed limit by 12 mph or more, today it is less than 1 out of 100.