Influencing driver behaviour through long term low intensity police traffic enforcement

A project was commenced in Tasmania in late 1984 with two main objectives: (i) to use and/or develop statistical methods to measure site by site traffic police patrol performance, particularly in terms of the key performance indicator - accident reduction; (ii) concurrently with this, to introduce long term patrol strategies based on known psychological principles so as to enable considerably lower than normal patrol intensities, and hence a substantial increase in the accident reduction effectiveness of individual patrol units. The ultimate aim of both these approaches was to extend the 'spread of effect' of traffic policing in Tasmania, in an attempt to reduce the road toll over a markedly increased percentage of the State's roads with little or no increase in police costs or manpower. The paper outlines: (i) the results of the initial trials of the above principles; and (ii) the extent to which the initial results have led to new program developments.