During 1993/94 specialized urban traffic police units were setup, on an experimental basis, in 3 major cities in Israel. Manpower and other resources in these cities were doubled and organizational changes were made, in an effort to impact drivers' behaviour and reduce accidents. A comprehensive evaluation program assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of traffic enforcement operations in these cities. The assessment was based on organizational analysis, monitoring of resource inputs, and monitoring of enforcement output parameters, such as patrol-hours and citations. A number of impediments to the efficient utilization of police resources were identified. Some are related to the physical and social structure of urban areas, others are inherent to traditional enforcement methods and the bureaucratic nature of any police force. Still other limitations are imposed by various aspects of the adjudication process, which are not under control of the police. Increasing resources alone can not produce the dramatic increase in enforcement needed to influence road users' behaviour. Rather, unique strategies of operation, suited to the nature of urban areas, should be developed. The paper consists of this abstract. (A)
Abstract