The Effectiveness of Stationary versus Moving Police Vehicles on Compliance with Speed Limit

Abstract

The absolute and relative effectiveness of conspicuously marked stationary and moving police units was studied, using a sample of 541 speeding drivers. Driver speeds were monitored prior to police detection, both at the site of the police unit and four km later. It was found that (1) the presence of police was sufficient to slow 95% of the speeding drivers, (2) the magnitude of initial speed reduction was the same in response to stationary and moving police units, (3) the halo effect (the tendency to maintain reduced speed after passing the police) was significantly greater for the drivers exposed to the moving units than to the stationary units, and (4) the greater the initial excess speed, the higher the final speed recorded after the police unit was passed. The results are consistent with the notion that compliance behavior is determined by the concept of perceived risk of apprehension.

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