Population underestimates risk of accidents at high speed
A joint survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO) and the AAIB shows that the population underestimates the consequences of speeding and rates the probability of controls low. Speed controls serve the purpose of road safety. The BFU is therefore opposed to an obligation to announce specific speed camera locations, as is demanded in Ticino and Baselland.
Exceeding speed limits is a widespread phenomenon. According to a survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office and the bfu - Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, 71 percent of road users stated that they had deliberately exceeded the speed limit at least once in the last 12 months. Although half of all road users expect that they could cause an accident due to excessive speed, only five percent of them actually expect an accident to occur.
This assessment contrasts with the actual accident figures: Every year in Switzerland, about 80 people die in speed-related traffic accidents, about 850 are seriously injured, and many are even disabled for life. The higher the speed driven, the greater the probability of an accident and the greater the severity of the accident.
No controls expected
To reduce these road accidents, speed controls are essential. In the survey, 88 percent of respondents said they occasionally to never expect to be checked.
The bfu notes this value with concern. For accident prevention, it is important to keep the drivers' expectation of checks as high as possible. Drivers should expect police checks at any time and in any place that have not been announced and cannot be foreseen. Experience shows that this increases road safety and means that fewer fines have to be imposed.
The police carry out controls with stationary, semi-stationary and mobile control devices. In Ticino, the cantonal council has decided that locations of mobile controls must be announced 200 meters in advance. In the canton of Baselland, an initiative even requires that all radar measurements be announced. This means that they lose their general accident-preventing effect.
"The compulsory announcement of all speed camera locations de facto undermines the speed regulations in Switzerland - some drivers would disregard the limits," says BFU Director Brigitte Buhmann. With a view to the safety of all road users, the bfu is therefore clearly against a partial and complete obligation to announce the locations of speed checks. On the other hand, the police should continue to announce controls at particularly dangerous locations.
