Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City

Speeding is a leading contributor to fatal crashes. This longitudinal study examines the short- and long-term changes associated with an automated speed enforcement program’s expansion from 2019 to 2021 in New York City, including the COVID-19-induced surge on speeding behaviors and the complex natu...

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Main Authors: Jingqin Gao, Di Yang, Chuan Xu, Kaan Ozbay, Smrithi Sharma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225000521
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author Jingqin Gao
Di Yang
Chuan Xu
Kaan Ozbay
Smrithi Sharma
author_facet Jingqin Gao
Di Yang
Chuan Xu
Kaan Ozbay
Smrithi Sharma
author_sort Jingqin Gao
collection DOAJ
description Speeding is a leading contributor to fatal crashes. This longitudinal study examines the short- and long-term changes associated with an automated speed enforcement program’s expansion from 2019 to 2021 in New York City, including the COVID-19-induced surge on speeding behaviors and the complex nature of high volumes of pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. Leveraging speeding tickets from 1,821 fixed speed cameras in school zones and crash data, this study employs interrupted time-series, spatial distribution, clustering analysis, and Survival Analysis with a random effect (SARE) to investigate if such a program brings about immediate and/or long-term change in speeding behaviors and crash reduction. The findings suggest a decrease in speeding tickets by an average of 18.4 %, 13.3 %, and 0.6 % in the second-, third- and fourth-month post-installation, demonstrating the program’s short-term efficacy in reducing speeding behavior. However, diminishing and time-lag effects were observed at some camera locations, indicating the need for further investigation and potential alternative safety interventions at these sites. Long-term analysis revealed a substantial 75 % reduction in speeding tickets by the end of 2021, despite a temporary surge during the pandemic. Four different long-term patterns were identified. Furthermore, crash analysis showed a statistically significant 14 % decrease in traffic crashes (pre-COVID) following speed camera implementation. Overall, the program has been largely successful in reducing speeding violations and traffic crashes, but its temporal effect varies across sites. Continuous monitoring, data-led adaptive strategies, and additional safety countermeasures are needed to optimize the program’s impact.
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spelling doaj-art-81efb135edcf4dfbb3bb3d1402ffd1012025-08-20T03:05:53ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-03-013010137310.1016/j.trip.2025.101373Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York CityJingqin Gao0Di Yang1Chuan Xu2Kaan Ozbay3Smrithi Sharma4C2SMARTER Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, USA; Corresponding author at: C2SMARTER Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, 6 MetroTech Center, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.Department of Transportation & Urban Infrastructure Studies, Morgan State University, USAC2SMARTER Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, USAC2SMARTER Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, USAC2SMARTER Center, Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, USASpeeding is a leading contributor to fatal crashes. This longitudinal study examines the short- and long-term changes associated with an automated speed enforcement program’s expansion from 2019 to 2021 in New York City, including the COVID-19-induced surge on speeding behaviors and the complex nature of high volumes of pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. Leveraging speeding tickets from 1,821 fixed speed cameras in school zones and crash data, this study employs interrupted time-series, spatial distribution, clustering analysis, and Survival Analysis with a random effect (SARE) to investigate if such a program brings about immediate and/or long-term change in speeding behaviors and crash reduction. The findings suggest a decrease in speeding tickets by an average of 18.4 %, 13.3 %, and 0.6 % in the second-, third- and fourth-month post-installation, demonstrating the program’s short-term efficacy in reducing speeding behavior. However, diminishing and time-lag effects were observed at some camera locations, indicating the need for further investigation and potential alternative safety interventions at these sites. Long-term analysis revealed a substantial 75 % reduction in speeding tickets by the end of 2021, despite a temporary surge during the pandemic. Four different long-term patterns were identified. Furthermore, crash analysis showed a statistically significant 14 % decrease in traffic crashes (pre-COVID) following speed camera implementation. Overall, the program has been largely successful in reducing speeding violations and traffic crashes, but its temporal effect varies across sites. Continuous monitoring, data-led adaptive strategies, and additional safety countermeasures are needed to optimize the program’s impact.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225000521Automated speed enforcement programSpeed cameraSpeeding behaviorClustering analysisSurvival analysis with random effect
spellingShingle Jingqin Gao
Di Yang
Chuan Xu
Kaan Ozbay
Smrithi Sharma
Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Automated speed enforcement program
Speed camera
Speeding behavior
Clustering analysis
Survival analysis with random effect
title Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City
title_full Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City
title_fullStr Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City
title_short Assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes: A longitudinal study in New York City
title_sort assessing the impact of fixed speed cameras on speeding behavior and crashes a longitudinal study in new york city
topic Automated speed enforcement program
Speed camera
Speeding behavior
Clustering analysis
Survival analysis with random effect
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225000521
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