Speed is one of many factors that increase the risk of serious or fatal injury in traffic crashes. Understanding driver and road manager decisions regarding travel speeds is fundamental to improving traffic safety. The objective of this study was to test existing equipment and technology assets in monitoring driver decisions with regard to posted speed limits. Driver behaviors with regard to systematic and special traffic speed programs were considered. In cooperation with the state transportation agency, data were collected from a group of automatic traffic recorder sites (ATRs) for this effort. Analysis focused on speed metrics to quantify differentials relative to posted limit observed traffic speeds, and high-risk driver prevalence. Systematic measures showed that some ATR sites had consistently higher shares of drivers operating beyond the expected range. This suggests that these roads may need re-evaluation with regard to posted speeds or additional enforcement and education efforts. Significant differences were found among sites with regard to high-risk driver pervasiveness. In regard to driver response to heightened enforcement and public information campaigns, limited data in a quasi-experimental design analysis showed positive, but not statistically significant, reductions in traffic speeds. The project did serve a valuable purpose in establishing the framework and processes for future speed program evaluations through the use of existing traffic monitoring devices. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting