Reducing crashes with speed enforcement

Research from Spain suggests that tougher enforcement of vehicle speed can help cut crashes and road casualties. This follows the analysis of data collated by Spain’s Civil Guard between 2006 and 2015. The study is titled 'The contribution to road safety of the supervision of compliance with traffic regulations', and was recently published jointly by the Mapfre Foundation and in which the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard (ATGC) and the Sevilla University. According to the study, tougher enforcement in the p
September 14, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Research from Spain suggests that tougher enforcement of vehicle speed can help cut crashes and road casualties. This follows the analysis of data collated by Spain’s Civil Guard between 2006 and 2015. The study is titled 'The contribution to road safety of the supervision of compliance with traffic regulations', and was recently published jointly by the Mapfre Foundation and in which the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard (ATGC) and the Sevilla University. According to the study, tougher enforcement in the period from 2006-2015 ensured that the road casualty rate from crashes was reduced by 510 deaths.


Furthermore, the use of enforcement measures meant that 125 deaths were prevented during 2017. With more enforcement measures due in the future, road deaths could be reduced by a further 596 over the next five years according to the report. According to the study, the use of radar has been particularly effective in lowering road deaths. According to calculations by Spain’s Civil Guard, a 10% increase in speed controls would cut road deaths by 4%.

Not everyone in the road safety community is so convinced that controlling speed is so crucial to lowering the casualty rate however. The report’s findings may suit some countries, but not all.

Related Content

  • Young Driver Risk
    April 16, 2018
    Police in the US state of Ohio recently found themselves in a high-speed pursuit involving a vehicle taken without its owner’s consent. The chase lasted for around one hour and the vehicle hit speeds of up to 160km/h during the pursuit, which covered a distance of around 72km in all between Cleveland and Milan. Officers managed to box the car in and bring it to a halt, without anyone being injured. The driver was a 10-year-old boy who took his mother’s car, the second time that the lad had done this in just
    Read More
  • PTV software for CycleRAP pilot project
    June 14, 2023
    The latest technology of PTV’s Model2Go and PTV Visum will be used to create a model of the city generated by using OpenStreetMap data for a detailed urban bicycle network configuration.
    Read More
  • FMCSA criticised for not promoting significant truck safety improvements
    May 1, 2012
    American Trucking Associations president and CEO Bill Graves has praised the efforts of the nation's truck drivers, safety directors and law enforcement officers for their contribution to the continued progress in the industry's safety record. "Based on the latest report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), fatal crashes involving a large truck have fallen 31 per cent from 2007 to 2009 and crashes resulting in injury have fallen 30 per cent," Graves said following a review of FMCSA'
    Read More
  • US DOTs in critical funding battle
    February 9, 2012
    In the US, state DOTs are preparing for the upcoming reauthorisation battle in a tough economic and political climate. Set to expire by the end of the year, the bill is a critical funding source for many transportation projects in the US. However transportation officials in the US are facing a tough battle as the political and economic climate has changed considerably since the last reauthorisation was passed, shortly after President Obama's inauguration in January 2009. Since then, the recession has contin
    Read More

Highlighted Content