Speeding enforcement strategies in Western Australia

This study examined police speeding enforcement activities in Western Australia in order to determine their relative effectiveness. Police resources and enforcement methods are described briefly and their effectiveness is analysed based on commonly used performance indicators, including percentage changes in number of fatal and serious injury crashes, number of road deaths per 100,000 population, and number and proportion of motorists detected exceeding the speed limit. The appropriateness of these performance indicators is discussed. Statistics for the five year period 1992-1996 are examined to determine the effects on the speeding behaviour of drivers in Western Australia of recent increases in police speeding enforcement equipment and activities. Results show that there have been significant reductions in the incidence of speeding behaviour and in speed-related crashes during this period, which indicates that the changes to practices have been effective. Some areas in which further improvements in speeding enforcement activities are possible (leading to reductions in both speeding behaviour and speed-related crash numbers), identified following a literature review, are also identified. (a)