Zero tolerance campaign reduces number of speeding vehicles by half

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Police in the Greater Helsinki area report that as a result of the zero tolerance speed camera campaign conducted by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland on Highway 51 last September, the number of speeding vehicles was reduced by half between Kirkkonummi and Karjaa.
      If this kind of campaign were as effective elsewhere, the intensified use of speed cameras on all stretches of Finnish highways would bring society minimum savings of EUR 13 million.
      During the campaign the police intervened in every single case of speeding on the Highway 51 stretch running west of the capital, between Kirkkonummi and Karjaa. The cameras were active for an average of 14 hours a day.
     
In cases of slight speeding, the drivers were let off with a formal warning.
      A total of 444 vehicles went past the cameras at a speed of 11 to 20 kilometres per hour over the limit, triggering an on-the-spot fine.
      As many as 67 drivers were given fixed day-fines which are based on the offenders’ income.
      The zero tolerance campaign against speeding was widely advertised to the general public.
     
Over the period, average speeds on the stretch of road declined by around three kilometres per hour, and the safety distances between vehicles became longer.
      Typically, slower speeds also resulted in lower consumption of petrol.
      The number of those drivers who drove slower than the posted speed limits grew slightly, but not enough to cause traffic congestion, VTT estimated.
      The intensified use of monitoring cameras would be likely to reduce the number of fatal accidents by at least 13 per cent, the researchers concluded.
     
If this kind of zero tolerance campaign were as effective elsewhere, the intensified use of speed cameras on all stretches of Finnish highways would bring society minimum savings of EUR 13 million, as for example the medical expenses accruing from people injured in road accidents would decline.
      At present nearly 3,000 kilometres of the Finnish highway network are monitored by automatic camera equipment.
      When doing calculations, fines are not regarded as income to society but as income transfers.
      The zero tolerance camera surveillance will also begin on the Highway 25 stretch between Lohja and Hanko, while it will also be continued on Highway 51.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Zero tolerance campaign against speeding on Highway 51 proves effective (20.9.2007)
  Speed cameras to monitor average speeds between two checkpoints (12.10.2007)
  Two out of three motorists exceed speed limits on major highways leading into Helsinki (17.3.2006)

Links:
  Finnish Police: Speed surveillance
  VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

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