Effectiveness of Automated Speed-Monitoring Cameras in Kuwait

In 1994 the General Traffic Department installed automatic radar cameras to monitor traffic speed at a number of strategic roadway locations in Kuwait. The aim was to lower the number of high-speed violations and thus reduce road accidents. Recent traffic safety records point to an increase in both the number of violations and the occurrence of road accidents. It is argued in this paper that without live enforcement support and active follow-up of camera-recorded violations, the effectiveness of these cameras in improving road safety is insignificant at best, particularly in the undisciplined driving environment of the oil-rich nations in the Middle East. The speed of traffic was simultaneously measured via radar instruments both at the automatic camera site and at sections approximately 1 km before or after or before and after the cameras at eight camera locations. Measurements were recorded for six 1/2-hr periods at each site for a total of 72 hr over a period of 3 months, so that morning, afternoon, and after-dark hours, as well as different days of the week and roadway types, were covered. Analysis of the speed data showed that for the three daily periods and various roadway types, traffic speeds were consistently higher in sections before or after or before and after the automatic camera at the camera site. Statistical tests indicated that the difference in speed measured at and away from the cameras was at the 99 percent level. The findings demonstrate that in a traffic environment characterized by poor driving behavior, inconsistent and piecemeal driver education programs, and insufficient presence of law enforcement officials, reliance on automatic cameras alone to reduce traffic violations is doomed to fail.