Research and Evidence

The evidence

Speed and red-light cameras play an important role in reducing speeds and changing driver behaviour on Victorian roads.

They encourage people to slow down and to obey traffic signals, and drivers are less likely to speed or run a red-light after they are issued with an infringement.

Since cameras were introduced in the late 1980s, Victoria’s road toll has more than halved and the 2011 road toll of 287 is the lowest annual road toll since monthly records began back in 1952.

There is good evidence that cameras are responsible for a significant decrease in Victoria’s road toll. Studies by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) have found that cameras do reduce crash rates.1

In 2001-2002, a package of speed enforcement activities was introduced in Victoria. This included a 50 per cent increase in mobile camera hours, a decrease in the tolerance allowed to drivers before a fine is issued, and the implementation of a default 50 km/h urban speed limit. In 2009 the road toll fell again to 295, and dropped to 287 in 2011. The nine years from 2003 to 2011 are the nine lowest road toll years since records started in 1952.

Cameras or safer cars and better roads

By reducing the average speed, the severity of an accident can be significantly reduced, and in many cases avoided altogether.

Improvements in car safety technology such as electronic stability control and anti-lock breaking systems, as well as improvements in road design, have all contributed to making Victorian roads safer for drivers.

While safer cars and better roads have helped reduce road casualties over time, there is a well-documented relationship between speeding and road trauma. Additionally, safer vehicles do not protect other road users such as pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. For these people, the speed of the vehicle which hits them is critical to their survival.

On a 60 km/h road, research shows that for every 5 km/h increase in the speed a motor vehicle travels, the risk of being seriously injured in a crash doubles.

Protect yourself and other road users by slowing down and obeying traffic signals.

1 See in particular MUARC reports 200 and 202.

 

Link Summary
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) MUARC is Australia’s largest injury prevention specialist carrying out research, consultancy and training. The website provides research, reports, projects and safety information for all modes of transport, in the workplace, in the community and in the home.
MUARC report 200 - Speed enforcement research: principles learnt and implications for practice This report provides a coherent review of speed enforcement research conducted by MUARC to date and practical measures that can be used in planning future enforcement operations. 
MUARC report 201 - The interaction between speed camera enforcement and speed-related mass media publicity in Victoria This report looks at how speed camera enforcement and speed-related publicity interact, specifically in relation to their effect on the risk of casualty crashes and the injury severity of the crash outcomes. Furthermore, the report outlines whether varying the levels and co-presentation of publicity and enforcement resulted in a change in perception of the level of speed enforcement and TAC advertising, and whether there was a change in self reported driving behaviour and perceived risk of being caught when speeding.
MUARC report 224 - Public perceptions of Victorian speed enforcement initiatives This report outlines the findings of public perception surveys of residents in Melbourne, Victoria, seeking reaction to new strategies and initiatives for enforcement of State speed limits. Using two surveys, MUARC developed this report after assessing changes in public attitudes.
MUARC report 242 - The history and development of speed camera use This report outlines the wide variation between the use of automated speed enforcement technology across Australia, Britain and North America and the controversies with its use and adopted approaches.
MUARC report 261 - An evaluation of the default 50 km/h speed limit in Victoria On 22 January 2001 a state-wide 50 km/h urban speed limit was introduced in Victoria and was principally applied on residential streets and collector roads in order to reduce the incidence and severity of casualty crashes. This report outlines the impacts and findings that this initiative had on reducing incidents.
MUARC report 267 - Overall impact during 2001-2004 of Victorian speed-related package

From December 2000 to July 2002, three new speed enforcement initiatives were implemented in Victoria. These initiatives were introduced in stages and involved the following key components:

More covert operations of mobile speed cameras, including flash-less operations;

50% increase in speed camera operating hours; and

Lowering of the cameras’ speed detection threshold.

This report outlines the evaluation of the effectiveness of this package and the overall impact these speed-related initiatives had on crash outcomes.
MUARC report 276 - The impact of lowered speed limits in urban and metropolitan areas This report focuses on speed limit reduction and the impact this has on mobility and general traffic system performance, with greater emphasis on the relationship between speed and overall travel time. The report also looks into the relationship between vehicle speed and accident severity and effective speed management.
MUARC report 202 - Scientific basis for the strategic directions of the safety camera program in Victoria This report provides a valuable scientific base for developing a strategy for the future directions of the safety camera program, but the report is not that strategy. The limited information available about the effects of the new technologies, and recent changes to the mobile camera operations, precludes that step from a scientific point of view.
MUARC report 239 - Assessing community attitudes to speed limits: final report A collaborative research study was undertaken in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania to investigate community attitudes towards speed limits, speeding, safety, amenity and the environment, and to identify some of the underlying factors behind these attitudes.
Speed cameras for the prevention of road traffic injuries and deaths This report analyses the effectiveness of speed cameras and whether speed cameras reduce traffic crashes, injuries and deaths.