This ETSC review, prepared by experts from across the European Union (EU), aims to focus attention on police enforcement of road safety, emphasises successful strategies and cost-effective enforcement methods, and makes recommendations for action at local, national, and international levels. It includes a discussion of the key traffic offences that reduce road safety and need to be targeted in enforcement. There is ample evidence that enforcement is much more effective if it forms part of a systematic approach to road safety, and is supported by driver information and engineering measures. Traffic regulation enforcement can be very cost-effective; its main objective is road safety, achieved by deterring road users from committing offences related to road crashes and casualties. Such deterrence should especially include increasing road users' perception of the risk of being caught, for example by conspicuous police and camera activities. This approach can bring lasting changes in road user behaviour and in road user attitudes to reinforce these changes of behaviour. Areas covered by the review include: excess speed, alcohol, drugs and fatigue, seat belt use, `right of way' offences, future trends, and proposals for effective traffic law enforcement in EU countries.
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