Evidence based enforcement strategy for traffic violations

Abstract

This study presents an evidence-based enforcement strategy for traffic violations in Sri Lanka, with a focus on reducing road traffic crashes, fatalities, and congestion through enhanced traffic management. In 2018, road traffic crashes resulted in 3,590 deaths, constituting 2.82% of total fatalities, and researchers have emphasised that majority of these road traffic crashes involves breach of traffic regulations by any party involved in a specific accident. This is where the traffic enforcement comes in to the picture and it has been well established that enforcement of traffic rule violation contributes significantly in reduction of Road Traffic Crashes and the crash severity apart from engineering and education. However, the findings reveal significant gaps in the current enforcement strategies, in reduction of road traffic crashes and fatalities in Sri Lanka and many other countries in the South East region of Asia where the deaths on roads kept on increasing for the last decade. Thus, this research is aimed to proposing an evidence-based traffic enforcement mechanism for Sri Lanka by mitigating the shortcomings in the traditional traffic enforcement. The proposed enforcement strategy in this research, integrates advanced technologies like Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), alongside traditional policing methods, tailored to the Sri Lankan context. This strategy is designed to be both cost-effective and scalable, offering a practical solution for improving road safety in Sri Lanka. The study’s approach can serve as a model for other low-income and middle-income countries facing similar challenges in traffic management and enforcement.