Evaluation of an initiative to reward correct traffic behaviour in the Province of Limburg : study into the effects of a pilot with individual and collective town area-related rewards for speed behaviour in urban areas.

Research has shown that the risk of a crash as well as its severity is related to the speed driven. For vulnerable road users (e.g. cyclists) in particular, it is important that the speeds driven by motor vehicles are sufficiently slow in order to increase their chances of surviving if a crash were to occur. Vulnerable road users are not protected by their vehicle, like for example drivers of passenger cars. Traditionally, speed violators are punished with fines. But research indicates that the opposite of punishment, namely rewarding, can also be effective. The present pilot study has investigated whether speed violations can be discouraged by rewarding drivers when they obey the speed limit. This report may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.swov.nl/rapport/R-2013-07.pdf