Analysis of the Effects of Speed Limit Enforcement Cameras: Differentiation by Road Type and Catchment Area

Abstract

A detailed statistical analysis is presented of the effects of speed limit enforcement cameras on injury accident numbers. The approach used is constructed in such a way that it is possible to differentiate not only between the effects of the cameras and the effects of trend and seasonality but actually to produce estimates that are independent of any other overall time-dependent effects. Crucially, the estimates produced are also net of the effects of regression to the mean. To allow for the simultaneous treatment of the different levels of severity, weights are used that reflect the frequency of the different types of accidents. This approach is then used on a data set for all injury accidents in Cambridgeshire between 1990 and 2002, which also contains data from 49 camera sites. To quantify the range of effectiveness of the cameras, estimates of the changes in accident numbers are produced for different distances from the camera site. The analysis shows that, overall, in the immediate vicinity of the camera sites, the installation of a camera can be expected to lead to decreases in weighted injury accident numbers by an astounding 45.74%. Lower, but still significant, decreases are observed in the wider surrounding area. Finally, to provide further insight into the differences in performance on different road types, the sites are grouped together according to road category. This analysis shows that the biggest reduction in accident numbers can be obtained on roads with a higher incidence of speeding offenses.