Road traffic offending and the introduction of speed cameras in England: The first self-report survey

Abstract

There is some evidence to suggest that the use of speed cameras to enforce speed limits can lead to a decrease in both speed violations and road accidents. The precise effects of such measures, however, are unclear. This paper describes an initial survey of driver attitudes and behaviour conducted following the experimental introduction of speed cameras in the United Kingdom. The survey was designed to determine, by means of drivers' self-reports, 1. (a) to what extent drivers' choice of speed had changed due to the presence of speed cameras, and whether this change generalised to areas where cameras were absent; 2. (b) the relationship between individual differences and the influence of the cameras; 3. (c) drivers' opinions of the use of cameras. Five hundred and twenty-four subjects completed a brief questionnaire. Overall, the results indicate that the presence of speed cameras is effective in reducing the speeds adopted by some drivers and that this effect, to some extent, generalises to areas without cameras. However, it is also apparent that those drivers who report adopting the most excessive speeds in general are the most likely to report driving more slowly in the presence of cameras, but no differently orfaster in other areas. Overall, drivers in this sample expressed more positive than negative views about the presence of speed cameras. The implications of the results for the widespread introduction of speed cameras are discussed.