Police traffic enforcement for the prevention of road crashes can be considered in two dimensions: technology and organisation. In recent years in Australia, there has been considerable development in technology, including breath testing apparatus and the speed camera. In parallel with such developments in technology, there are opportunities for further development of the systems of organisation that underlie the delivery of the technology. A management system is outlined that attempts to enhance the effectiveness of police traffic enforcement resources for crash prevention by utilising quality management principles at each step of the organisational process. In the system sites for enforcement are clearly labelled; police vehicles are deployed to individual sites by a formal, randomised timetable; and data on police attendance and crash occurrence are collected on a site-by-site basis. Dose-response relationships between police attendance and crash reduction are continuously evaluated and management adjustments to the program fully guided by these results. In six implementations throughout Australasia since 1984, evaluation suggests the approach has generated an average 32% reduction in major casualty crashes, at an average and marked benefit/cost ratio of approximately 70:1. Some $200 million in crash social costs is estimated to have been saved. Opportunities are outlined for the further use of the organisational system in road safety management and crime prevention. (Author/publisher)
Abstract