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 traffic
Less time to detect danger
Less time to react to danger
Longer braking distance
Less 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 research
Enforcement practice Crash
reduction
95% 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
Thank the sponsor ….

Speeding and seat belt use: experiences from the Netherlands

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