Little is known about the role of legal enforcement and penalties in influencing driver behaviour and hence safety on roads. Research commissioned by the Scottish Office examined drivers' awareness of penalties, the influence of a range of potential risks associated with offending, and tested whether enforcement had a different deterrent effect on different types of driving offence. The research found that influences on drivers' compliance with the law are many and complex and that the deterrent effect on enforcement per se depends on the type of driving offence and the public's attitude towards the severity of that offence. Whilst speeding is perceived to be low risk in terms of either being detected or involved in an accident, drink driving provides an example where the likelihood of getting caught and being penalised has a far stronger effect. The research has confirmed that drivers calculate the costs and benefits of complying with the law and partly justify their behaviour in terms of their ability to anticipate and control dangerous situations. In addition to legal enforcement, drivers say they would be deterred from offending by improved driving tests, better road signing, and road safety campaigns designed to increase awareness of the consequences of offending.
Abstract