On Limburg municipal roads where average speed checks were introduced, the number of traffic accidents fell by an average of 38% compared to the number of accidents on comparable roads without section controls.
This emerges from an analysis by UHasselt researchers reported by the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg, among others. According to the researchers, this is the first time the impact of municipal average speed checks on traffic accidents has been examined in such a scientifically based manner.
No effects on the severity rate of accidents
For the analysis, UHasselt used data from the Federal Police on the number of accidents with the exact location on Limburg roads before and after the installation of a section control and data from 55 of the 69 section controls installed in the province since the end of 2023. These, in turn, were compared with the datasets on the road register, which characterizes all roads in Limburg by length, shape, and structure.
Analysis of the data now shows that the introduction of these average speed checks has led to a 38% average decrease in the number of traffic accidents compared to similar roads without section controls.
“In terms of the impact on the severity rate of accidents, however, we find no statistically significant effects,” says Prof. Dr. Wim Marneffe of the ‘Data-driven Policy’ chair, which researches how municipal governments can support policy choices based on objective data.
Tool for municipalities
UHasselt is already considering a follow-up study, one that should lead to a tool enabling municipalities to ultimately decide whether an average speed check at a specific location is worthwhile.
However, the researchers do point out that when a local authority decides whether to install a speed section control on a local road, it must take into account much more than just the impact on accident figures. Consider also, for example, the investment cost, possible privacy issues, the perception about road safety, the fact that drivers in general are becoming more careful in traffic, or that cars have also become smarter.
