# Presentation: 069604

## Canadian Speed Management Overview

**James G. White**
**Engineering Advisor**
**Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation **
**Transport Canada**
**National Speeding Forum **
**Washington, DC**
**15 June 2005**

**Notes:**
Paper prepared and presented by:

R.W. Sanderson, P. Eng.Chief, Road SystemsRoad Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation
Transport CanadaPlace de Ville - Tower COttawa, OntarioK1A 0N5

Tel: 613-998-1975Fax: 613-990-2912
e-mail: sanderr@tc.gc.ca

## Context

**Federal**
**Motor vehicle safety and emissions standards **
**Safety research coordinating role**
**Limited highway improvement funds**
**Canada has signed the Kyoto Protocol****on the reduction of greenhouse gases**
**Provincial and municipal**
**Own the road system**
**Speed limits **
**Driver licencing and control**

## Context – Canada-US

**The border is key**
**500,00 people and 45,000 trucks cross the border each day**
**Interoperability is extremely important**
**Private vehicle fleet – Same vehicles, but Canadians buy smaller ones on average**
**Canada and US rank 8****th**** and 9****th**** in deaths per vehicle-km traveled (1****st**** UK, 2****nd**** Sweden, 3****rd**** Netherlands)**

## Policy developments

_**Highway speed policy**_
**Speed limit increases on some highways**
**Limited major divided highways (AB, SK, NB, NS)**
**100 ******** 110 km/h (62 ******** 68 mph)**
**Analyses show increased compliance rather than increased speed**

## Policy developments

_**Road safety vision**_** **
**Many countries have adopted vision statements. **
**Speed management is important element**
**Transport Canada Road Safety Vision 2010**
**Decrease fatal and serious injuries, compared to 1996-2001 average:**
**30 % overall (progress: -1.2/-2.3%)**
**20% in speed-related crashes (progress: +3.6/-3.2%)**

## Program developments

_**Urban areas**_
**Photo enforcement increasing**
**Traffic calming measures increasing slowly**
**Roundabouts seen as practical step in many locations**

## Driver-measures 

**Graduated driver licencing is working**
**15 to 30 % reduction in serious crashes involving learning drivers**
**GDL linked to speed limits in Ontario **
**Restricted to 90 km/h roads**
**No driving on divided highways**
**Less opportunity for very high speed by susceptible drivers**
**High public acceptance**

## New program development

**CCMTA Speed and Intersection Safety Management committee **
**4 core strategies: **
**Education/awareness**
**Improving driver knowledge of speed risks**
**Research**
**Driver motivation**
**Determine best practices in education and enforcement**

## Current research

**Infrastructure **
**National standards for speed limits**
**Consistent national crash data**
**Enforcement**
**Optimizing resource uses**
**Coordination with public education and infrastructure improvements**

## New technologies -Adaptive cruise control(ACC)

_**Research review findings**_
**ACC may provide **
**more uniform speed**
** ****improve flow**
**decreased rear-end collisions**
**reduced fuel consumption**
**Useful effects at relatively low penetration rates **

## ACC, 2

_**TC research findings**_
**Behavioral adaptation tests**
**With ACC:**
**Drivers diverted more attention to a distracting task**
**Drivers responded slower to a hazard detection task**
**Drivers varied lane position more**
**Technical tests also showed some problems **
**Following on curves**
**Object acquisition**
**Performance in rain or snow**
**Technology-specific differences (radar, laser)**

## New technologies

_**TC Current research**_
**Intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) **
**GPS + maps > speed limit information to vehicle**
**European trials have proven system feasability**
**20-25% injury reductions estimated in urban areas**
**Small scale on-road test in Ottawa area**
**Compare subjects driving with/without ISA for 1 month**

## New technologies

_**TC Current research, cont’d**_
**Fuel consumption cost display**
**How will drivers respond to real time fuel cost data, e.g. $ per mile, $ per trip?**
**Slow down?**
**Drive less?**
**Combine trips?**
**Change routes?**
**Assessment models for new technologies**

## Fuel consumption vs. speedTransport Canada/Environment Canada tests

**2004 Chevrolet Impala**

## Review of Speed ResearchSafety, Speed and Speed Management – A Canadian Review (IBI, 1997)

- Changing speed limit has limited effect on safety
- Changing speed limit has little effect on travel speed
- Drivers select travel speed based on physical cues such as road design

**Notes:**
So what does all this mean?
- Changing the speed limit has limited effect on safety
- Changing the speed limit does not have a major effect   on driver behavior as reflected in their travel speed
- Drivers appear to select their travel speeds based on   physical cues such as road design
- Road design is also an important influence on safety

## Review of Speed Research - 2Safety, Speed and Speed Management – A Canadian Review (IBI, 1997)

- No consistent method / authority for setting speed limits
- Changing posted speed limit does not automatically mean a change in safety
- Unclear under what conditions changing speed limit will lead to change in safety
- Enforcement effects are short lived** **

**Notes:**
In conclusion, the study found that there are no consistent methods for establishing speed limits in Canada, and that they are set by many levels of government with differing policies and objectives.
While much of the data for higher speed facilities suggests that changes in vehicle speed are often associated with a change in safety, the study team concluded that changing the posted speed limit does not automatically mean that speeds and crashes will be affected by the change, and that it is not clear under what conditions changing the speed limit is likely to lead to a change in safety.
Unless enforcement is visible and prevalent, drivers quickly return to their choice of speed.  Studies have shown that enforcement effects diminish over time as well as distance traveled from the enforcement location.

## Review of Speed Research - 3Safety, Speed and Speed Management – A Canadian Review (IBI, 1997)

- Changes to speed limits have little effect on driver behavior
- Drivers respond more to physical cues than speed limits
- A complex issue involving driver, vehicle and road factors
- Approach must be multi-disciplinary

**Notes:**
Simply changing the speed limit has limited effect on driver behavior.
Drivers appear to select their travel speed based on physical cues rather than posted speed limits.
The relationship between speed and safety is very complex involving driver, vehicle and roadway factors.
Any speed management program must involve a comprehensive Engineering, Enforcement and Education approach.

## Speed Management Program Development Suggestions Derived from 1997 review

- Better data and analysis to identify factors
- More research on driver response to physical environment
- More reasonable speed limits to increase driver compliance
- Develop a uniform knowledge-based method of setting speed limits

**Notes:**
On the basis of all the material reviewed, it is recommended that a “Made in Canada” work plan be developed and implemented.
Since most of the studies reviewed were at the macro level, and given the complex inter-relationships more detailed data and analysis are required.
Drivers are also influenced by more than the speed limit.  More research needs to be carried out to identify the physical features that affect driver speed choice.
In the interim, more reasonable sped limits need to be established, defined as one which is acceptable by the majority of drivers, or the 85’th percentile travel speed.  
To ensure consistency between similar roadways in Canada, it is also recommended that a knowledge-based method be developed which would consider situations where a combination of factors may increase the risk associated with higher speeds.

## Speed Management Program Development Suggestions 

**Search out best practices, but look for reasons for variance**
**Be open to new technologies, but do or demand large-scale and time-series field tests.**
**If you implement it, evaluate it. **
**Speed change**
**Costs**
**Benefits (safety, GHG, fuel)**

## Speed Management Program Development Suggestions

**Seek common cause and synergy.**
**Partner agencies with different basic interests.**
**Transportation <> Environment <> Energy <> Enforcement**
**Example – Canadian ACC research funding**
**75% - Federal Energy R&D fund **
**25% - Transport Canada**

## www.tc.gc.ca > Road Safety

## THE

***THE***

***END***

**Nope, that’s not it either.  Let’s try ****30**** ...**

**       ****OFF THE WALL**

**Notes:**
There is a need for national and international cooperation on goals and objectives, information sharing and cooperative funding.
The concern for safety by the many stakeholders across Canada will ensure that a consensus on speed management issues can be reached.  
While the plan would be national in scope, programs in other countries have illustrated the importance of provincial, regional and local involvement and commitment.  Program details can then be tailored to suit the individual jurisdictions.

## Speed Variance vs. Collision Rate

**Source - Solomon (1964)**

**Notes:**
Research in the U.S. by Solomon in 1964 showed a U-shaped relationship between the speed variance and the Collision Rate.  It is important to note here as well that the graph indicates that speed variance lower than  the average speed actually contributes to a higher Collision Rate than higher Speed Variance.
Some recent research has supported Solomon’s U-shaped relationship, while other research has indicated that factors such as purpose of trip, driver age, types of vehicle etc. may be more of an influence.  However, there is some logic to the relationship even though mean speed may not be the only contributing factor.