A study was conducted in Finland to gather basic information about the attitudes of drivers to speeding limit enforcement checks, e.g. speed cameras, using driver interviews and speed measurements. The subjective risk of getting caught was examined. The relations between actual speed and views on speeding checks were studied. The speed of cars and vans was measured using a hidden speed radar. The vehicles were then pulled over and asked to answer a questionnaire about speeding. Over 60% supposed that the police enforced speed limits on the routes at least once a month. About 10% supposed that traditional police speeding checks had zero tolerance and 15% supposed that automatic speed cameras had zero tolerance. Most drivers estimated the tolerance to be up to 10 km/h. Most people thought that the police should punish those exceeding the speed limit by less than 15 km/h with a fine or a warning, depending on the speed. The majority of drivers considered that automatic speed cameras were acceptable. The lower the speed, the lower the supposed enforcement tolerance was.
Abstract