Crash effects of the Queensland Camera Detected Offence Program

The Queensland Camera Detected Offence Program (CDOP) covers all modes of camera based traffic enforcement in Queensland including the mobile speed camera program, fixed intersection red light and speed cameras, fixed midblock speed cameras and point to point cameras. This project aimed to develop an evaluation framework for CDOP which measured the overall crash effects of the program as well as the crash effects associated with each enforcement type. An evaluation framework was developed measuring the performance of CDOP in terms of its effect on crashes by considering the likely spatial and temporal effects of each CDOP enforcement type based on the international literature. Efficacy of the developed framework was shown through its application to existing data to estimates of the effects of the CDOP during 2008. It was estimated that the CDOP was associated with an overall 23% reduction in all police reported crashes and 24% reduction in fatal and hospitalisation crashes across Queensland in 2008. This represents a saving of over 5,700 crashes of all severities and over 1,100 fatal and serious injury crashes. Over 95% of the savings associated with the program derive from the mobile speed camera program which is the CDOP element that covers by far the largest proportion of the crash population. Implementation of the CDOP in Queensland was associated with substantial road trauma reductions. Evaluation results highlight the particular importance of a wide-reaching mobile speed camera program in achieving these savings.