A new study shows that automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras significantly reduced speeding in school zones, which could lead to improved safety for children and other vulnerable road users.
Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) found that the cameras reduced speeding in school zones by 45 per cent. The cameras also reduced the majority of drivers' maximum speed by over 10 km/h.
"This research is important and very timely as the use of automated speed enforcement in urban areas is currently being debated across Canada," said Linda Rothman, occupational and public health professor and senior author on the study.
"Those against these cameras complain they are speed traps and cash cows to generate municipal revenue. This research provides strong evidence about how effective these devices are in reducing driver speed, which is essential to increasing the safety of our urban roads," she said.
How the cameras work
The study monitored vehicle speeds before, during and after ASE cameras were used in 250 Toronto school zones between July 2020 and December 2022. It is the first study to measure how vehicle speed changes as cameras are added and then removed from school zones.
With the cameras in place, speeding vehicles decreased by 45 per cent, the maximum speed travelled by 85 per cent of vehicles fell by 10.7 km/h and vehicles travelling more than 20km/h over the speed limit dropped by 87 per cent.
Once cameras were removed, speeding rates returned to previous levels.
"Road traffic injuries are the number one cause of death in children and youth, and the second cause of death in all ages in Canada. Driver speed has been long established as the major determinant of collisions and injuries and fatalities on our roads," said professor Rothman.
A tool for safer streets
Built environment interventions like speed bumps and narrow roads can be effective but are costly to implement. ASE cameras are relatively quick to set up.
The City of Toronto deployed the cameras as part of its Vision Zero road safety program, which focuses on reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by prioritizing the safety of vulnerable road users including child pedestrians.
Despite some political opposition to the cameras, the researchers found clear evidence that they are effective in reducing vehicle speed. They note ASE is an important tool to consider in improving pedestrian safety, especially for children.
"Speed is the single most important factor in pedestrian injury risk," said Dr. Andrew Howard, first author, head of orthopaedic surgery and senior scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program at SickKids. "This study shows that ASE can be an effective way to reduce that risk, especially in areas where children are most vulnerable."
Read the study, Automated speed enforcement reduced vehicle speeds in school zones in Toronto: a prospective quasi-experimental study in the journal Injury Prevention.
This research was conducted in collaboration with the City of Toronto as part of its Vision Zero road safety programme and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and a competitive evaluation grant from the City of Toronto.
