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Speed Limit Enforcement and Road Safety

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  • Stefan Bauernschuster
  • Ramona Rekers

Abstract

We study the impact on road safety of one-day massive speed limit monitoring operations (SLMO) accompanied by media campaigns that announce the SLMO and provide information on the dangers of speeding. Using register data on the universe of police reported accidents in a generalized difference-in-differences approach, we find that SLMO reduce traffic accidents and casualties by eight percent. Yet, immediately after the SLMO day, all effects vanish. Further evidence suggests that people drive more slowly and responsibly on SLMO days to avoid fines; providing information on the dangers of speeding does not alter driving behavior in a more sustainable way.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Bauernschuster & Ramona Rekers, 2019. "Speed Limit Enforcement and Road Safety," CESifo Working Paper Series 8024, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8024
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    Cited by:

    1. Nehiba, Cody & Tyndall, Justin, 2023. "Highways and pedestrian deaths in US neighborhoods," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Mika Sutela & Nino Lindstrom, 2024. "A game theoretic approach to lowering incentives to violate speed limits in Finland," Papers 2402.09556, arXiv.org.
    3. Metz-Peeters, Maike, 2023. "The Effects of Mandatory Speed Limits on Crash Frequency - A Causal Machine Learning Approach," Ruhr Economic Papers 982, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen, revised 2023.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    traffic; law enforcement; safety; accidents;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H76 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other Expenditure Categories
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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