Police Road Research Articles

The influence of the elements of procedural justice and speed camera enforcement on young novice driver self-reported speeding

Road policing is an important tool used to modify road user behaviour. While other theories, such as deterrence theory, are significant in road policing, there may be a role for using procedural justice as a framework to improve outcomes in common police citizen interactions such as traffic law enforcement. This study, using a sample of 237 young novice drivers, considered how the four elements of procedural justice (voice, neutrality, respect and trustworthiness) were perceived in relation to two forms of speed enforcement: point-to-point (or average) speed and mobile speed cameras. Only neutrality was related to both speed camera types suggesting that it may be possible to influence behaviour by emphasising one or more elements, rather than using all components of procedural justice. This study is important as it indicates that including at least some elements of procedural justice in more automated policing encounters can encourage citizen compliance.

Ultra-rapid targeted analysis of 40 drugs of abuse in oral fluid by LC-MS/MS using carbon-13 isotopes of methamphetamine and MDMA to reduce detector saturation.

The number of oral fluid samples collected by the road policing authority in Victoria, Australia, requiring confirmatory laboratory analysis for drugs proscribed under Victorian legislation (methamphetamine, MDMA and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) has greatly increased in recent years, driving the need for improved analysis techniques to enable expedient results. The aim of this study was to develop an LC-MS/MS-based targeted oral fluid screening technique that covers a broad range of basic and neutral drugs of abuse that can satisfy increased caseload while monitoring other compounds of interest for epidemiological purposes. By combining small sample volume, simple extraction procedure, rapid LC-MS/MS analysis and automated data processing, 40 drugs of abuse including amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cocaine and major metabolites, opioids, cannabinoids and some designer stimulants were separated over 5min (with an additional 0.5min re-equilibration time). The analytes were detected using a Sciex® API 4500 Q-Trap LC-MS/MS system with positive ESI in MRM mode monitoring three transitions per analyte. The method was fully validated in accordance with international guidelines and also monitored carbon-13 isotopes of MDMA and MA to reduce detector saturation effects, allowing for confirmation of large concentrations of these compounds without the need for dilution or re-analysis. The described assay has been successfully used for analysis of oral fluid collected as part of law enforcement procedures at the roadside in Victoria, providing forensic results as well as epidemiological prevalence in the population tested. The fast and reliable detection of a broad range of drugs and subsequent automated data processing gives the opportunity for high throughput and fast turnaround times for forensic toxicology.

Discretion, the better part of valour? Empowering traffic officials to make discretionary decisions

This article explores discretionary decision-making in a specific traffic police unit. This study was undertaken from a social constructivism perspective, using a single holistic case study design. The research involved presenting scenarios to traffic officials at different stages, first at the end of their training, and then again six months after they started work, to determine how they would deal with situations that required them to use their discretion. The study sought to understand the extent to which exposing newly recruited traffic officials to the realities of traffic road policing influenced their notions of discretionary decision-making. The findings suggest that there are gaps in the training of these traffic officers and it proposes that the existing pedagogical style of training be replaced with an andragogical one, focusing on judgment drills in ethical dilemmas.

Enhancing public trust and police legitimacy during road traffic encounters: results from a randomised controlled trial in Scotland

© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Objectives: This paper reports results from the Scottish Community Engagement Trial (ScotCET), devised to replicate the Queensland Community Trial (QCET). ScotCET was an RCT that tested the effects of ‘procedurally just’ policing on public trust and police legitimacy Methods: A block-randomised (matched pairs) design, with pretest and posttest measures, was implemented in the context of road policing in Scotland. Participants were drivers stopped by police in December and January 2013/14 as part of Police Scotland’s ‘Festive Road Safety Campaign’. The experimental intervention comprised a checklist of key messages to include in routine roadside vehicle stops, and a leaflet for officers to give to drivers. Analysis proceeds via random effects regression models predicting latent variable measures of trust, satisfaction and legitimacy Results: Contrary to expectations, the intervention did not improve trust and legitimacy; rather, trust in the officers who made the stop, and satisfaction with their conduct, fell in the test sites, relative to the controls, after implementation of the intervention. The intervention had no significant effect on general trust in the police, nor on police legitimacy Conclusions: Results demonstrate the difficulty in translating experimental interventions across policing contexts, and challenge the notion that public perceptions may be improved through a simple, additive approach to the delivery and communication of procedural justice.

Injuries to 15–19-year olds in road traffic crashes: a cross sectional analysis of police crash data

To describe the circumstances in which 15–19-year-old vehicle occupants are injured in road traffic crashes, compared with older casualties. Regression analysis of UK STATS19 police road traffic casualty data from 2008–2010. Odds ratios used to compare circumstances between 15 to 19 and 25 to 59-year-old passenger and driver casualty groups. Amongst 15–19-year olds, there were 27,552 car passenger casualties and 28,322 car driver casualties. 15–19-year olds were at greatest risk of being injured as passengers when being driven by a 17–19-year old (adjusted OR 25.4, 95 %CI 23.95–26.91) or between 9 pm and 5.59 am (adjusted OR 1.9, 95 %CI 1.83–2.01). Motorway driving was associated with a significantly reduced risk (adjusted OR 0.55, 95 %CI 0.49–0.61). For driver casualties, 15–19 year olds were at greatest risk when carrying a 15–19-year-old passenger (adjusted OR 12.1, 95 %CI 11.55–12.70) and between 9 pm and 5.59 am (adjusted OR 2.3, 9 %CI 2.22–2.39). Motorway travel again saw a significantly reduced risk (adjusted OR 0.37, 95 %CI 0.34–0.41). The main risk factors for road traffic injury to 15–19-year olds are travelling with occupants of a similar age or between 9 pm and 5.59 am. Other countries have implemented an intervention, graduated driver licensing (GDL), to tackle precisely these risk factors. The UK Government needs to review the case for GDL as a matter of urgency.

Linking Police and Hospital Road Accident Records

This paper presents the description of various steps to be applied in the linkage of road traffic accident records through a case study from the city of Porto, Portugal. The complexity of this process stems primarily from several issues found in the data sets: mistakes and missing values were frequently detected, and only a few common data fields could be matched by the linkage process. This study used the application of a mixed deterministic and weight-based probabilistic method to link police and hospital records. The tolerance calibration and weights computation were critical for the final linkage rate as well as for the correct matching of the results. The results obtained lay within the range of rates found by other authors. Furthermore, to improve the record linkage results, a validation process based on the emergency ambulance data was performed. Despite missing values, 98% of the matched records were verified as true matches. Finally, a preliminary investigation of bias after data linkage is described; it shows that the variables selected for comparison indicate similar statistical values. The main outcome of this study is a road accident linkage process that can be adapted, developed, and applied in different contexts and that aims to promote development of police, hospital, and emergency ambulance data in Portugal and other countries. Additional development is planned for each step presented in this paper.

Practice of Skin Cancer Prevention among Road Traffic Police Officers in Malaysia

The objective of this study was to determine the practice of skin cancer prevention among Malaysian road traffic police officers. This cross-sectional study involved 202 Malaysian Road Police Traffic officers. Inclusion criteria were those officers who work wearing white uniform regulating traffic. The survey took place at the Police Traffic Station, Jln Tun H.S. Lee, Kuala Lumpur, the main Head Quarters of Malaysian's Traffic Department where almost 600 police traffic officers are employed. The police traffic officers are given the task to take care of the traffic from the main office of the police station, then, according to the task, the officers drive to their given location for their duty. Each task is approved by the Chief Traffic Inspector of Kuala Lumpur. Data collected in this study were analyzed using SPSS 13, with the T-test for univariate analysis and multiple linear regression for multivariate analysis. A total of 202 road traffic police officers participated. The majority were older than 30 years of age, male, Malay, married, with secondary education, with monthly income more than 2000 Ringgit Malaysia (66.3%, 91.1%, 86.6%, 84.7%, 96%, 66.3%; respectively). Regarding the practice of skin cancer prevention, 84.6% of the study participants were found to wear hats, 68.9% sunglasses and 85.6% clothing that covering most of the body but only 16.9% used a sunscreen when they were outdoors. When analysis of the factors that influenced the practice of skin cancer prevention was performed, univariate analysis revealed that gender, age and monthly income significantly influenced the practice of skin cancer prevention. For multivariate analysis, gender, monthly income and race significantly influenced the practice of using sunscreen among road traffic police officers (p<0.001, p=0.019, p=0.027; respectively). The practice of skin cancer prevention among the traffic police officers showed good practices in terms of wearinga hat, sun glasses and clothing that covers most of the body. However, the study revealed a poor practice of the use of sunscreen. The factors that influence the practice of sunscreen use were found to be gender, income, and race. The study suggests that more awareness campaign among traffic police officers is needed. Providing sunscreen for free for police traffic officers should be considered by the Police authorities.

Profile of persons involved in traffic accidents in Romania

Background: Romania had in 2010 the highest fatality by traffic accidents in EU and the lowest progress in reducing the traffic deaths during the decade 2001 - 2010 (3% decrease). Objective: Our study aimed to present the profile of persons involved in traffic accident in Romania during 2005- 2010. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed. The profile of persons involved in traffic accidents was analyzed globally and by subgroups, considering the injury type and the road user. The main data source was the electronic database of Road Police Directorate. Results: Globally, 344467 persons were involved in traffic accidents during the study period, from which 4.7% died, 13.2% were seriously injured and 39.9% had slight injuries. 75% of the persons involved in traffic accidents were males. 9.1% of the victims were children, 83.8% were adults and 7% elderly. Globally, half of the persons wore safety equipments (seat belt, helmet and child safety seats).. Conclusion: Too many persons are involved in traffic accident in Romania, and too many of them still die or are seriously injured, as a consequence of a traffic accident. The decreasing trend registered in European Union is not visible in our country. Undertaking the EU legislation is not enough for reducing the deaths and injuries by traffic accidents and a coordinated national strategy is necessary for halving the traffic deaths in the next decade, 201 1 - 2020.

Road traffic crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries in Arkhangelsk, Russia in 2005–2010

The study investigated trends in traffic crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries in Arkhangelsk, Russia in 2005–2010. Data were obtained from the road police. Negative binomial regression with time regressor was used to investigate trends in monthly incidence rates (IRs) of crashes, fatalities, and non-fatal injuries. During the six-year period, the police registered 4955 crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries, which resulted in 217 fatalities and 5964 non-fatal injury cases. The IR of crashes with fatal and non-fatal injuries per total population showed no evident change, while the IR per increasing total number of motor vehicles decreased on average by 0.6% per month. Pedestrian crashes constituted 51.8% of studied crashes, and pedestrians constituted 54.6% of fatalities and 44.5% of non-fatal injuries. The IRs of pedestrian crashes and non-fatal pedestrian injuries per total population decreased on average by 0.3% per month, and these were the major trends in the data.

Designing injury surveillance system for National Highways & Motorway police of Pakistan

ObjectivesTo design a comprehensive road traffic injury surveillance system for National Highways & Motorway Police of Pakistan on the basis of WHO Injury Surveillance Guidelines and keeping in view several...

Development of road safety performance indicators for trauma management in Europe

Trauma management (TM) covers two types of medical treatment: the initial one provided by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and a further one provided by permanent medical facilities. There is a consensus in the professional literature that to reduce the severity and the number of road crash victims, the TM system should provide rapid and adequate initial care of injury, combined with sufficient further treatment at a hospital or trauma centre. Recognizing the important role of TM for reducing road crash injury outcome, it was decided, within the EU funded SafetyNet project, to develop road safety performance indicators (SPIs) which would characterize the level of TM systems’ performance in European countries and enable country comparisons.The concept of TM SPIs was developed based on a literature study of performance indicators in TM, a survey of available practices in Europe and data availability examinations. A set of TM SPIs was introduced including 14 indicators which characterize five issues such as: availability of EMS stations; availability and composition of EMS medical staff; availability and composition of EMS transportation units; characteristics of the EMS response time, and availability of trauma beds in permanent medical facilities. Basic information on the TM systems was collected in close cooperation with the national expert group. A dataset with TM SPIs for 21 countries was created. It was demonstrated that the countries can be compared using selected TM SPIs. Moreover, a more general comparison of the TM systems’ performance in the countries is possible, using multiple ranking and statistical weighting techniques. By both methods, final estimates were received enabling the recognition of groups of countries with similar levels of the TM system's performance. The results of various trials were consistent as to the recognition of countries with high or low level of the TM systems’ performance, where in grouping countries with intermediate levels of the TM system's performance some differences were observed. The SafetyNet project's practice demonstrated that data collection for estimating TM SPIs is not an easy task but is realizable for the majority of countries. The TM SPIs’ message is currently limited to the availability of trauma care services. Further development of the TM SPIs should focus on characteristics of actual treatment supplied, based on combined police and medical road crash related databases.

Deaths of cyclists in London: trends from 1992 to 2006.

BackgroundCycling is an increasingly important mode of transport for environmental and health reasons. Cycling fatalities in London were previously investigated in 1994 using routinely collected data. Since then, there have been shifts in the modes of transport used, and in transport policies. We sought to replicate the previous work using data on cyclist deaths in London between 1992 and 2006, specifically investigating whether heavy goods vehicles continued to pose a threat.MethodsObservational study based on analysis of time series of police road casualties data, 1992 to 2006, in London, UK. The main outcome measures were cyclists killed in road traffic collisions. Poisson regression and chi-squared test for homogeneity were used to assess time effects. Travel flow data was then used to estimate annual fatality rates per 100,000 cyclists per kilometre.ResultsFrom 1992 to 2006 there was a mean of 16 cycling fatalities per year (range 8-21). 146 deaths (60%) were in inner London and 96 in outer London. There was no evidence for a decline over time (p = 0.7) other than a pronounced dip in 2004 when there were 8 fatalities. Freight vehicles were involved in 103 of 242 (43%) of all incidents and the vehicle was making a left turn in over half of these (53%). The fatality rate ranged from 20.5 deaths in 1992 to 11.1 deaths in 2006 per 100,000 estimated cyclists per kilometre (rate ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.28 to 1.03).ConclusionsThere is little evidence fatality rates have fallen. Freight vehicles over 3.5 tonnes continue to present a disproportionate threat; they should be removed from urban roads and more appropriate means of delivery of essential goods found.

The impact of 20 mph traffic speed zones on inequalities in road casualties in London

BackgroundRoad traffic casualties show some of the widest socioeconomic differentials of any cause of morbidity or mortality, and as yet there is little evidence on what works to reduce them....

Severity of urban transit bus crashes in Bangladesh

AbstractUnlike in developed countries where buses are a relatively safe mode of transport, there is a significant safety concern in many developing countries like Bangladesh regarding transit buses. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the factors contributing to the number or severity of bus crashes. Using the ordered probit model on bus crash data from 1998 to 2005 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, our study shows that there is a general increase in the severity of transit bus crashes over this period. Also, crash severity tends to increase when the collision occurs on weekends, off‐peak periods, and two‐way streets or involves only one vehicle, a pedestrian, and other vulnerable road users. On the other hand, the severity of a crash tends to be lower at locations with some form of police control or road medians, as well as for crashes involving hit object, parked vehicles, or sideswipes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Driving with a forearm plaster cast: patients’ perspective

Background:Forearm plaster casts are commonly used in orthopaedic practice for the treatment of fractures of the wrist and carpal bones. A common question put by patients seeks to clarify suitability...

Whiplash risk estimation based on linked hospital–police road crash data from France and Spain

Objectives:To investigate potential risk factors for whiplash injury as a function of crash configuration and driver’s characteristics, and to provide information on over-reporting and under-reporting of whiplash.Design:A case–control study of...

Road Policing as a State Tool: Learning from a Socio-historical Analysis of the California Highway Patrol

The vast majority of Anglo-American police and policing social studies illustrate, both theoretically and empirically, an a-statist, localist and, to a lesser extent, privatist organization. This article reconsiders this common perspective by exploring the socio-historical monographs of the California Highway Patrol. This inquiry reveals how a state can utilize a new and marginal policing objective—road risk and criminality—to develop a powerful and relatively autonomous police organization, which, despite its name, exists more as a police on the road than a police of the road, and plays a vital role in the Californian police system. Surprisingly, the California Highway Patrol embodies the model of a state institution much more common in “Older Europe” than in America.

A redesign of a road traffic accident reporting system using business process simulation

Business process simulation (BPS) is used to evaluate the effect of the redesign of a police road traffic accident (RTA) reporting system. The new system aims to provide timely statistical analysis of traffic behaviour to government bodies and to enable more effective utilisation of traffic police personnel. The simulation method is demonstrated in the context of assisting process change enabled by the use of information systems in an organisation in which there had been a historically mixed pattern of success in this activity.

Management of obesity

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 181, Issue 8 p. 461-462 Letter Management of obesity Ray C McHenry, Ray C McHenry General Surgeon Eastern Surgical, Suite 7529, Police Road, Mulgrave, VIC 3170.Search for more papers by this authorRichard W Gilhome, Richard W Gilhome Eastern Surgical, Suite 7529, Police Road, Mulgrave, VIC 3170.Search for more papers by this authorChris Hensman, Chris Hensman Eastern Surgical, Suite 7529, Police Road, Mulgrave, VIC 3170.Search for more papers by this author Ray C McHenry, Ray C McHenry General Surgeon Eastern Surgical, Suite 7529, Police Road, Mulgrave, VIC 3170.Search for more papers by this authorRichard W Gilhome, Richard W Gilhome Eastern Surgical, Suite 7529, Police Road, Mulgrave, VIC 3170.Search for more papers by this authorChris Hensman, Chris Hensman Eastern Surgical, Suite 7529, Police Road, Mulgrave, VIC 3170.Search for more papers by this author First published: 18 October 2004 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06389.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume181, Issue8October 2004Pages 461-462 RelatedInformation

Basic Skills Manual

ANZ Journal of SurgeryVolume 72, Issue 3 p. 247-248 Basic Skills Manual Chris Hensman, Chris Hensman 7/529 Police Road, Mulgrave, Vic., AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author Chris Hensman, Chris Hensman 7/529 Police Road, Mulgrave, Vic., AustraliaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 19 March 2002 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1445-2197.2002.2362c.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume72, Issue3March 2002Pages 247-248 RelatedInformation