Speed enforcement – Effects, mechanisms, intensity and economic benefits of each mode of operationSpeed enforcement – Effects, mechanisms, intensity and economic benefits of each mode of operation

Significant programs of speed enforcement have been in operation in a number of State and international jurisdictions for some time and many have been the subject of rigorous evaluation. Such programs aim to reduce crash frequency and/or injury severity through reductions in mean speed and/or changes to the speed distribution. In broad terms, the speed enforcement programs evaluated have been demonstrated to be beneficial in reducing road trauma. However, it is only in examining the individual characteristics of such programs that the mechanisms of effect become evident and information useful for the development of new speed enforcement programs can be obtained. This paper describes the speed enforcement program evaluations and the information concerning the relationship between enforcement intensity and program outcomes that they contain. Such analysis was conducted for all major speed enforcement modes, including mobile and fixed speed cameras operated overtly or covertly (including point-to-point average speed cameras), moving mode radar and hand-held laser speed detectors. An economic analysis of program outcomes was also conducted for each of these modes. This analysis was used to inform the development of a new speed enforcement strategy for Western Australia (WA) that can be expected to reduce road fatalities by 25 percent in a cost efficient way.