The effect of mobile radar enforcement and supporting publicity on road trauma during July 1995-June 1997 was examined in terms of the number of casualty crashes that occurred on undivided roads in 100 km/h speed zones in Victoria. The crash-based analysis compared accident frequencies for the period in which up to 73 mobile radar devices were operational (July 1995-June 1997) with the corresponding time frame three years before their introduction (July 1992-June 1994) when there was no mobile radar enforcement. The evaluation found evidence of a four-day residual enforcement effect on casualty crashes in rural areas of Victoria during July 1995-June 1997, but the effect diminished five to seven days after the enforcement's presence. The strongest effects on casualty crashes in rural Victoria occurred when the enforcement was accompanied by high awareness levels of specific mobile radar publicity. The largest crash reductions occurred one to four days after the enforcement was present in a particular region of rural Victoria. Under these circumstances, a 28 percent decrease in casualty crashes resulted which was marginally statistically significant. Crash reductions were also evident when high awareness levels of general speed-related publicity accompanied the mobile radar enforcement. However the effects were smaller and weaker than those produced when the publicity support was specific to the mobile radar enforcement. (A)
Samenvatting