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                        Proven Safety Countermeasures


            
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        Proven Safety Countermeasures
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          Visit the Office of Safety's Speed Management Website for more information
                                                        For more information, view the Speed Safety Camera Program Planning and Operati...
                                                        Watch "Speed Safety Cameras in School Zones - A Proven Safety Countermeasure"

              Speed Safety Cameras
U.S. Department of Transportation logoU.S. Department of Transportation
    Federal Highway Administration
    FHWA-SA-21-070

          PDFSpeed Safety Cameras_508.pdf (PDF, 123.59 KB)


        Safe Speeds is a core principle of the Safe System Approach since humans are less likely to survive high-speed crashes. Enforcing safe speeds has been challenging; however, with more information and tools communities can make progress in reducing speeds. Agencies can use speed safety cameras (SSCs) as an effective and reliable technology to supplement more traditional methods of enforcement, engineering measures, and education to alter the social norms of speeding. SSCs use speed measurement devices to detect speeding and capture photographic or video evidence of vehicles that are violating a set speed threshold.

Applications

Agencies should conduct a network analysis of speeding-related crashes to identify locations to implement SSCs. The analysis can include scope (e.g., widespread, localized), location types (e.g., urban/suburban/rural, work zones, residential, school zones), roadway types (e.g., expressways, arterials, local streets), times of day, and road users most affected by speed-related crashes (e.g., pedestrians, bicyclists).

SSCs can be deployed as:

**Fixed units**—a single, stationary camera targeting one location.
	**Point-to-Point (P2P) units**—multiple cameras to capture average speed over a certain distance.
	**Mobile units**—a portable camera, generally in a vehicle or trailer.The table below describes suitable circumstances for SSC deployment.1

Table of selection considerations for SSC deployment
	Considerations for Selection
			Fixed
			P2P
			MobileProblems are long-term and site-specific.
			X
			XProblems are network-wide, and shift based on enforcement efforts.
			
			
			XSpeeds at enforcement site vary largely from downstream sites.
			
			X
			XOvert enforcement is legally required.
			X
			X
			XSight distance for the enforcement unit is limited.
			X
			XEnforcement sites are multilane facilities.
			X
			X

Considerations

SSCs can produce a crash reduction upstream and downstream, thus generating a spillover effect.2
	Public trust is essential for any type of enforcement. With proper controls in place, SSCs can offer fair and equitable enforcement of speeding, regardless of driver age, race, gender, or socio-economic status. SSCs should be planned with community input and equity impacts in mind.
	Using both overt (i.e., highly visible) and covert (i.e., hidden) enforcement may encourage drivers to comply with limits everywhere, not only at sites they are aware are enforced.
	Agencies should conduct evaluations regularly to determine if SSCs are accomplishing safety goals and whether changes in strategy, scheduling, communications, or public engagement are necessary.
	Agencies should conduct a legal and policy review to determine if SSCs are authorized within a jurisdiction and how the authorization and other traffic laws will affect a SSC program.
	Agencies should develop an SSC program plan with consideration of the USDOT SSC guidelines for planning, public involvement, stakeholder coordination, implementation, maintenance, evaluation, etc.3

        Sources
        1. Speed Safety Camera Program Planning and Operations Guide. FHWA, (2023).

2. (CMF ID: 7718) Montella et al. ”Effects on speed and safety of point-to-point speed enforcement systems“. Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 75, (2015). Note that this is an international study.

3. Speed Enforcement Camera Systems Operational Guidelines. NHTSA, (2008).

4. (CMF ID: 2915, 2921) Shin et al. ”Evaluation of the Scottsdale Loop 101 automated speed enforcement demonstration program.“ Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 41, (2009).

5. (CMF ID: 7582) Li et al. ”A Before-and-After Empirical Bayes Evaluation of Automated Mobile Speed Enforcement on Urban Arterial Roads.“ Presented at the 94th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Paper No. 15-1563, Washington, D.C., (2015). Note that this is an international study.

6. Automated Speed Enforcement Program Report 2014-2017. New York City DOT, (2018).
    
    Safety Benefit IconSafety Benefits:
              
Fixed units can reduce crashes on urban principal arterials up to: 4
          54%
      
            for all crashes.
          47%
      
            for injury crashes.
          P2P units can reduce crashes on urban expressways, freeways, and principal arterials up to:
          37%
      
            for fatal and injury crashes.2
          Mobile units can reduce crashes on urban principal arterials up to:
          20%
      
            for fatal and injury crashes.5
          In New York City, fixed units reduced speeding in school zones up to 63% during school hours.6 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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