During 1995 and 1996 the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) purchased a total of 55 new moving mode radar (also known as mobile radar) units for installation in Victoria Police patrol cars to supplement the 18 existing units, bringing the total devices used by Police in Victoria to 73. A television advertisement pertaining to the mobile radar enforcement was launched by the TAC during November 1996. 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 evaluation found evidence of a four-day residual enforcement effect on casualty crashes in rural areas of Victoria, 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. Crash reductions were also evident when high awareness levels of general speed-related publicity accompanied the mobile radar enforcement. There was no evidence of crash reductions in the outer metropolitan regions where mobile radar was used. The findings suggest that, in rural areas of Victoria, mobile radar enforcement is an effective tool for reducing casualty crashes on undivided highways, and that publicity supporting the enforcement produces stronger effects when it is specific to the enforcement rather than when it encompasses all speed-related themes. (A)
Samenvatting