Reasons to Apply Section Speed Enforcement
Section speed enforcement is efficient in keeping average speed in road sections down. Therefore, it has a potential of improving safety and environment in inhabited areas and leading to more fluent traffic.
Safety in Vulnerable Zones
At some places, there is a particular danger of vehicles colliding with pedestrians. A typical example is a school zone or different locality with high presence of children. The stopping distance which changes with vehicle speed is the main reason to control drivers within these areas. In some cases, it is sufficient to control speed for instance in front of a pedestrian crossing. Yet, the necessity to keep the speed down in a whole road section is very common.
The reason why spot speed enforcement using radars or similar technologies is not sufficient in some cases is the so called “Kangaroo effect”. It refers to drivers slowing down rapidly and increasing their speed again after passing the spot where speed is measured. There is no use for performing such maneuvers in a road stretch where the average vehicle speed is evaluated.
Between 30 and 40 km/h, the stopping distance increases
by 50 percent!
(raisethehammer.org)
The importance of reducing speed in the areas lies in the relation of vehicle speed and its stopping distance. The higher the velocity, the more dominant the factor of the car braking possibilities as opposed to the reaction of the driver. Being cautious while driving fast therefore does not help as much as some would hope. The speed itself makes the situation dangerous.
According to the World Health Organization, speed contributes to 30 – 50 % of deaths on the road, depending on the country. It is obvious that monitoring speed can lower the number. The graph below shows impacts of enforcing the desired behavior using CAMEA section speed measurement technology. In the particular zone, number of daily violators decreased by approximately 80 % within a few months. As explained earlier in the text, this helps protecting traffic participants, especially the pedestrians.
Vehicle speed is a major cause of traffic accidents and enforcing the limits is generally considered one of the most effective tools for preserving road safety. Doing it in a whole road stretch prevents drivers from abrupt speed changes. By shortening the breaking distance, significantly dependent on the velocity, it protects vulnerable pedestrians, typically children, in areas where driving fast is particularly risky.
Traffic Fluency
Traffic density in some regions is getting enormous. At the same time, driver limitations such as speed measurement are often confronted with displeasure of citizens using the roads. But is enforcing in these situations really just bullying with a goal to collect money and to complicate getting to the final destination? Results from numerous applications show the impact on travel time is actually positive.
The elimination of the "kangaroo effect" contributes to traffic fluency. Together with speeding, avoiding this behavior also improves safety in specific places such as tunnels, roads where reconstruction is being performed etc. In the end, what is the worst thing for fluent driving? A highway full of queuing cars due to the accident in a constricted section with limited number of lanes.
Secondly, the speed reduction itself allows drivers to drive closer to the cars in front as the breaking distance is shorter and human brain can cope with it. Decreasing the vehicle gap then results in more vehicles situated in the section and more cars passing through the stretch within the same time period. Section speed enforcement therefore helps with getting to the final destination faster. Recognizing this function helps public acceptance.
Environmental Burden
Road traffic pollutes air and produces noise. Busy roads cutting through settlements are often responsible for respiratory issues, lack of sleep and many other major problems. In distant areas, wildlife suffers. Named impacts of traffic worsen with the speed of passing vehicles. That is why it is sometimes necessary to enforce keeping the velocity low.
The meaning of applying the section speed enforcement lies in fluent traffic, road safety and improved living in zones around the roadways. In order to achieve a decrease in average vehicle speed, it is necessary to properly inform drivers about the enforcement happening in the section.