Photo: Dmitry G / wikipedia.org
Next time they’re caught speeding, drivers in Estonia will have to go on time-out instead of digging into their wallet to pay the fine. This is part of a new police pilot program meant to curb speeding.
Incidents involving speeding drivers have seen a rise in 2018 as compared to the previous year, including as regards the number of fatal incidents. Since issuing fines for motorists caught speeding doesn’t seem to do the trick, authorities have come up with a different approach, the Estonian government broadcaster ERR reports.
It involves putting drivers on time-out. Unlike what you might think, this doesn’t entail a promise on behalf of the driver that they would spend the next few days as pedestrians, if caught speeding, but an actual time-out, whose length will vary depending on the speed the vehicle was traveling at.
For example, drivers caught doing up to 20 kph (12.4 mph) over the speed limit, will be asked to wait for 45 minutes in a parking area next to the road. Motorists caught doing between 21 and 40 kph (13 and 24.8 mph) over the legal limit will be put on a 60-minute time-out. Authorities hope the delay will be more of a lesson to speedsters than paying the speeding fine.
The new approach will be tested this week, and once again in a couple of weeks’ time, to compare results and see if this could work as a long-term option. Only motorists who have never had a traffic offense will be eligible for the time-out, the others will still get fines.
“This is part of a traffic innovation project that aims to find new effective ways to improve road safety,” PPA innovation advisor, Elari Kasemets, tells ERR. “We are investigating how speeders perceive the fine and the impact of the lost time. We know from interviews with motorists that some people consider having a conversation with a police officer and the time they take to intervene more effectively than fines.”
“On the basis of these police operations, we will collect information about the reasons speeders give to justify breaking the limit,” Kasemets adds. “We are analyzing the impact of different interventions to find more effective solutions, because the goal is for perpetrators to actually change their behavior, not to punish them for the sake of punishment.”
It involves putting drivers on time-out. Unlike what you might think, this doesn’t entail a promise on behalf of the driver that they would spend the next few days as pedestrians, if caught speeding, but an actual time-out, whose length will vary depending on the speed the vehicle was traveling at.
For example, drivers caught doing up to 20 kph (12.4 mph) over the speed limit, will be asked to wait for 45 minutes in a parking area next to the road. Motorists caught doing between 21 and 40 kph (13 and 24.8 mph) over the legal limit will be put on a 60-minute time-out. Authorities hope the delay will be more of a lesson to speedsters than paying the speeding fine.
The new approach will be tested this week, and once again in a couple of weeks’ time, to compare results and see if this could work as a long-term option. Only motorists who have never had a traffic offense will be eligible for the time-out, the others will still get fines.
“This is part of a traffic innovation project that aims to find new effective ways to improve road safety,” PPA innovation advisor, Elari Kasemets, tells ERR. “We are investigating how speeders perceive the fine and the impact of the lost time. We know from interviews with motorists that some people consider having a conversation with a police officer and the time they take to intervene more effectively than fines.”
“On the basis of these police operations, we will collect information about the reasons speeders give to justify breaking the limit,” Kasemets adds. “We are analyzing the impact of different interventions to find more effective solutions, because the goal is for perpetrators to actually change their behavior, not to punish them for the sake of punishment.”
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