Speeding and seat belt use: experiences from the Netherlands

Speeding and seat belt use: experiences from the Netherlands

Dr. Charles Goldenbeld

Senior researcher SWOV

Turkey, Ankara, May 8th 2013

Turkey, Ankara, C.Goldenbeld, May 8th 2013

Introduction SWOV

SWOV • is a national institute• covers all relevant fields of road safety• is independent of policy making• is impartial in its results and is authorized to publish• results are used by Parliament, Ministries, regional and local authorities, peer/interest groups, professionals, practitioners, media, etc.

Mission to contribute to improving road safety by means of scientific research and dissemination of the results

To be achieved by:

• promoting and executing scientific research• disseminating knowledge from research to road (safety) professionals• promoting and maintaining (inter)national relations• stimulating exchange of knowledge and experience

Turkey, Ankara, C. Goldenbeld, May 8th 2013

Turkey and Netherlands: some basic statistics

Characteristic Turkey Netherlands

Population 79,7 mln. 16,7 mln.

Land area 769.630 sq. km 33.730 sq. km

Length Motorways 2080 km (2010)(Wikipedia)

2400 km (2010)

No. Road fataliltes 10.000 (WHO) 650 (2012)

No. Cars 7,5 mln. (2010) (Wikipedia)

8,0 mln. (2010)

No. Motorcycles 2,4 mln. (2010)(Wikipedia)

0,6 mln. (2010)

No. Cyclists ? 1,1 bike per inhabitant


Contents presentation

• Traffic enforcement

• Speeding enforcement

• Seat belt enforcement and campaigns

• Conclusions


Traffic enforcement Netherlands

Question Answer

Police resorts under … Ministry of Safety and Justice

No. police regions 10

Active police officers 49.000

Traffic policing is … …. one of several tasks of police officers, about 3% policing task is spent on traffic duties

Specialised traffic enfocement

25-27 officers in each region in specialised traffic enforcement teams

Spearheads of enforcement

Speeding, Alcohol, Seat belt use, Red light running, Helmet use of mopedists

Latest developments Combining enforcement of traffic violations and criminal violations (theft, drugs, tax evasion) Use digital technology (cameras, Automatic Nummer Plate Recognition)


Why traffic enforcement?

• Errors and violations on the road• Improve behaviour, save lives• Maintaining public order• Catching offenders = Justice• It’s effective, it works • If fair and credible, public

support will be high


Traffic enforcement: balanced approach

Finding right balance between: • Engineering, Education and Enforcement• Visible vs. less visible speed enforcement• ‘Hard’ approach (enforce, fine) vs. ‘soft’ (communication,

warning, giving advice)• Use camera technology vs. personal contact

Definition speeding

“Speeding encompasses excessive speed (driving above the speed limit) or inappropriate speed (driving too fast for the conditions, but within the limits).

.


Source: OECD/ECMT (2006). Speed management. OECD/ECMT Joint Transport Research Committee, Paris.


Risks of speeding and speed variation

Speed Mechanism Road safety result

Higher speeds

Less time to observe trafficLess time to detect dangerLess time to react to dangerLonger braking distanceLess time for others to see or react to your vehicle

Higher crash risk

Higher speeds

More energy to be absorbed in crash

Higher risk of a serious injury

Larger speed differences

More overtakings, more conflicts Higher crash risk

Methods speed enforcement Netherlands

Method of speed enforcement Where?

Fixed speed cameras (≈ 1000), (analog cameras to be replaced by digital)

On roads inside and outside urban areas (30/50/80/100/120 km/hr.)

Mobile speed cameras (≈ 80) Mostly rural roads (80km/hr.)

Section control (15) On highways (100/120 km/hr.)

Lasergun checks with stopping offenders

In major cities (50/70 km/hr.)

Surveillance and stopping (repeat) offenders

Mostly on motorways and highways


Automatic speed enforcement Netherlands, 2011


Devices Number

Digital speed cameras 180

Analog speed cameras 400

Red light/speed cameras 600

Section control systems 15

Estimated crash reduction speed checks: international researchEnforcement practice Crash

reduction95% confidence interval

Speed cameras -34% -27; -41

Stationary controls with separate team for stopping offenders

-26% -22; -29

Composite controls -8% +5; -19

Moving patrol with marked car -6% +4; -16

Radar laser: same car detects and apprehends

-1% +3; -5

Overall -18% -13; -23

Erke, A., Goldenbeld, Ch. & Vaa, T. (2009). Good practice in the selected key areas: Speeding, drink driving and seat belt wearing: Results from meta-analysis. Deliverable 9 of the PEPPER project. European Commission, Brussels.


Speed enforcement strategy: 10 golden rules

1 To maximize the road safety effects, speed enforcement should prevent speeding violations that are proven to be related with the number or severity of crashes

2 Speed enforcement should be part of an integrated speed management approach.

3 Speed enforcement is more effective if it is targeted at prioritised roads, areas, situations & times.

4 The credibility of speed enforcement is important (public perception & support important)

5 Speed camera enforcement is appropriate for a large concentration of traffic crashes at high-volume traffic locations. Physical policing can be a good alternative when crashes are more scattered.

6 Speed enforcement must be supported by setting safe and credible speed limits, by publicity, by legislation facilitating effective enforcement, and by appropriate sanctions.

7 Alternatives to negative sanctions, such as warning letters, educational courses, speed limiters, merit serious consideration by authorities, practitioners and researchers.

8 Speed enforcement is more effective if it has specified objectives and success criteria, and is monitored in terms of both outcomes and outputs.

9 Cooperation and partnerships between police, local authorities and data experts provides the best guarantee for problem-oriented, outcome-focused & evidence-based speed policing.

10 To the extent that new technologies facilitate voluntary speed control, police speed enforcement can direct itself more at detecting extreme or repeated speed offenders

Source : DaCoTA (2012). Speed Enforcement, Deliverable 4.8 of the EC FP7 project DaCoTA.

SWOV, Leidschendam, C.Goldenbeld, 10 April 2013

Legislation seat belt use adult drivers Netherlands

• January 1971: anchorage points and seat belts in the front of new cars were made compulsory.

• June 1975: compulsory to use front seat belts

• 1990: Obligatory fitting of rear seatbelts in new cars

• April 1992: Obligatory use of seatbelts on rear seats (if present). Obligatory use of seatbelts in busses and lorries (if present)

• January 1998: Seatbelts must be present in new commercial vehicles (delivery vans, buses)


Legislation protective devices children

• January 1976: Child on lap on front seat forbidden, children < 12 yrs must travel on rear seat, children between 6-12 yrs can travel on front seat with lap belt

• European law 2003: children shorter than 1.35 m or 1.50 m must use a child protection device, in the front, as well as in the back of the car.

• EU-legislation obligatory in 2006 in Netherlands

Turkey, Ankara, C.Goldenbeld, May 8thl 2013

Importance of seat belt use for road safety in Netherlands

• In the Netherlands, the use of seat belts results in a yearly reduction of hundreds of fatalities.

• Seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 37 to 48%, depending on the position in the car. At 50%, the effect of child protection devices is even slightly higher.

• When last measured (in 2010), 97% of the front seat occupants in cars used a seat belt, and so did approximately 82% of backseat occupants.

• In delivery vans, lorries and buses equipped with seat belts, the use of seat belts is lower.

• Circa 68% of Dutch children are transported with sufficient protection.

Turkey, Ankara,, C. Goldenbeld, May 8th 2013

Source: SWOV (2012). SWOV Factsheet Seat belts, airbags and child protection devices.

Development of seat belt use in the Netherlands 1990-2010


Explanation increase seat belt use Netherlands 1990-2010

Three main explanatory factors:

• Increased police enforcement

(e.g. in 2007: 279.000 tickets for not wearing seat belt)

• Yearly mass media and local publicity campaigns• Adults• Children

• More comfortable seat belt systems in cars


Example Dutch publicity campaign children: Goochem the Armadillo


Goochem armadillo child seat belt campaign

• The primary target groups were children aged 4 to 12 years and parents. The campaigns were intended to improve and confirm:

• knowledge of seat belt regulation

• positive attitudes towards correct use of seat belts

• proper use of seat belts, especially by rear passengers

• SUPREME-report: Goochem campaign is one of the most promising campaigns

• The objective that 65% of the target group knows that new regulation for the transport of children by car will come into force per March 1st of 2006, was achieved. Before the campaign started only 28% of parents of children in the age of 4‐12 years knew this; afterwards 90% of them were familiar with the fact that the regulation changed per March 1st 2006. Furthermore after the campaign 87% of the target group knew that children below 135 cm have to use an approved child restraint (before the campaign this was 60%).


Source: Silverans, P. & Neve, P. de (2007). SUPREME; Thematic Report Education and Campaigns. Directorate-General for Transport and Energy, European Commission, Brussels.

Goochem armadillo seat belt campaign

• The campaign was embedded in a larger, over‐all communication strategy

and involved all relevant authorities and organisations (integrated approach).

• Good creative concept: “Goochem the Armadillo” was especially developed for the age group between 4 and 12 years. A rubber gadget in the shape of an Armadillo is offered to 1‐12 year old children that are fastened correctly. This little animal makes it attractive for children to wear their seat belts. Attached to the seat belt with Velcro, the soft latex toy is the cheerful little children’s mate for safety on the backseat.

• Positively framed message: The toy’s message is not about the risks of not wearing your seat belt, but emphasizes that it’s fun to wear your seat belt.

• Also: Increased seat belt enforcement


Goochem child seat belt campaign

Elements media campaign targeting parents & children:

• TV‐commercial “Goochem the Armadillo” is the main character in this commercial and encourages children to wear their seat belt (with a popular song) and to always ‘buckle up’ themselves.

• Radio commercial the same song was used as in the tv‐commercial. Five different versions were broadcasted, each with an‐other musical style (hip hop, funk, rock, original and house). The text is the same in each different version.

• 185 billboards alongside the highways and national roads The bill‐board has a short and simple message which encourages everybody to wear their seat belt.

• Website www.gordeldier.nl; The interactive website offers children (and their parents) an opportunity to watch and listen to the commercials, to read a story written by Goochem the Armadillo, to download a colouring picture, and to write a message to Goochem



Conclusions: Speed & seat belt enforcement

• Enforcement to be integrated in a wider safe systems approach including Education and Engineering: (Sustainable Safe Vision, Vision Zero)

• Speed enforcement: Start with Safe and credible limits to behaviour, present road users with ‘clear’ and ‘right’ road Environment, & credible enforcement (i.e. fair procedures and appropriate sanctions)

• Seat belt enforcement: Teach road users/people where

knowledge is lacking, target different road users (parents, children, professional drivers) and use positive messages/fun.

Thank you for your attention

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Speeding and seat belt use: experiences from the Netherlands