Speed on roads

A report submitted by a team of BGU researchers to the Israel National Road Safety Authority (RSA) has recommended the deployment of speed camera over the country’s entire non-urban road network.

The recommendation is based upon the substantial impact of speed cameras on actual driving speeds, as well as on the connection between speed and safety consequences that has been established in studies globally.

Four years back, the RSA commissioned Professor Hillel Bar-Gera, Professor Edna Schechtman, Dr Amir Grinstein and Dr Oren Musicant to assess the system after electronic enforcement systems began to be installed on non-urban roads.

Between August 2010 and April 2014 independent pneumatic speed measurements were conducted at various dates at 14 camera installation sites and it was found that the average speed declined by 7.86 km/h.

"We should take into consideration the possibility that following national installation of enforcement cameras the overall speed reduction will be somewhat more modest."

On average, traffic volumes at the sites declined by 3.1%.

At four comparison sites, additional speed measurements were done on matching dates at nearby road sections without camera installations and it found an average speed increase of 0.7 km/h.

Traffic volumes at these sites is said to have declined on average by 2.5%.

The researchers said: "We should take into consideration the possibility that following national installation of enforcement cameras the overall speed reduction will be somewhat more modest, for example 5% on average (this value should not be considered as a prediction)."

The research concluded that speed cameras have considerable influence on driver behavior and extensive installation of speed cameras is expected to contribute to the safety of the road network.

Image: The recommendation is based upon the substantial impact of speed cameras on actual driving speeds. Photo: courtesy of siraphat on FreeDigitalPhotos.net.