This paper focuses on some of the key points of research on speed cameras, recently completed at Brunel University, England. It explains what the researchers did and why, what they found, and what are their conclusions and recommendations for best deployment of speed cameras. One key objective was to determine the beliefs of drivers about how speed camera enforcement operated, in relation to actual deployment policies, and how these beliefs changed in time and in response to the policy. Another was to determine the attitudes of different groups of drivers to speed cameras, the equipment's perceived effect on their behaviour and that of other drivers, and how these attitudes changed with time and exposure to the technology. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, where twelve surveys were conducted and arranged in five subsets, each focusing on one of the policies investigated; each subset was conducted in a different locality. Over 6800 drivers answered one or two postal questionnaires, and 105 of them were interviewed. Results were obtained for various camera arrangements and driver behaviours, perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. Recommendations related to unintentional and intentional speeding, specific camera deployments, etc. Education at individual and societal levels is also discussed.
Abstract