Prosecutor's Office, SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research has evaluated the effectiveness of regional plans for traffic enforcement. These plans contain intensified police surveillance of the five 'spearheads' of road safety policy in the Netherlands: speeding, drink driving, not wearing seatbelts and crash helmets, and red light running. First of all, general road safety developments in the various police regions were examined. This was done by comparing the situation in 1994 and 1995 (i.e. before implementing the plans) and that in 2000 and 2001. It must be concluded that the implementation of the regional plans in 2000/01 has not had clearly positive road safety effects. In the regions that had implemented such a plan, the number of severe road injuries (including fatalities) did not decline more than in the other regions (the control area). If, however, only the development in the number of deaths is examined, it appears that in the regions which had implemented such a plan, there has been about a 10% stronger reduction than in the control area. Although this difference was not (statistically) significant, it can be considered a relevant effect. Next, the amount of surveillance and the effect on traffic behaviour was examined. The implementation of regional traffic enforcement plans has especially led to a considerable increase in police surveillance of driving speeds. Although not to the same extent, this also applied to seatbelt wearing. Intensifying the surveillance of these two spearheads has lead to significant behavioural changes among Dutch motorists. The average speeds and the number of serious speed offences declined significantly and seatbelt wearing increased considerably in the regions with such a plan. Normally these behavioural changes are accompanied by an improved road safety. This indeed happened in some regions that had implemented an enforcement plan, but not in others. Drink driving enforcement activities also increased by about an estimated 5-10% (for the Netherlands as a whole) as a result of implementing regional plans. However, this did not result in a demonstrable decrease in drink driving, nor in an accompanying reduction of alcohol-related injuries. Little data is available about the enforcement level or the behaviour changes regarding crash helmet wearing and red light running. It is assumed that the increase in enforcement of these spearheads during 2000/01 was limited, and that there was probably a limited influence on the behaviour concerned and the resulting road safety. Based on this traffic enforcement evaluation research and literature study, recommendations for future surveillance for each of the spearheads have been formulated.
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