The results of the study published in the Journal of Transport & Health show a downward trend in collisions on all road segments analyzed. This reduction is in line with the decline in the road toll observed in recent years.
The researchers were also able to show that road sections with posted speed limit at 80 or 90 km/h and a limit reduction of at least 20 km/h had the greatest reduction in road accidents and average speeds.
"The greater the speed reduction, the higher the prior speed, the greater the reduction in collisions," says Professor Marie-Soleil Cloutier, an expert in urban studies and road safety at the INRS and lead author of the study.
This large-scale study was carried out using data from the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) between 2006 and 2013 regarding the roads under their jurisdiction located throughout Quebec (i.e. national and regional roads). The researchers pooled multiple databases based on the spatial location of street segments. This allowed the researchers to look at the effects of different speed limit changes on the number of crashes with at least one death or serious injuries.
"One of the challenges was to develop a methodology to analyze speed changes on the network at various times and under different circumstances," says Ugo Lachapelle, professor in the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies at UQAM. "Since there is no provincial policy on speed reduction, this approach can continue to be applied to document the impacts and justify a more systematic policy.
"Requests from municipalities for speed limit changes on the MTQ network are increasing over the years. It's a growing challenge to analyze these requests and grant them while ensuring that it's safe," says Professor Cloutier.
A unique study
In Quebec, there have been very few recent studies on the relationship between speed limit reduction, road environment, speed and road safety, even though speed is recognized as one of the main factors in collisions.
"This study is really unique because we looked at more than one type of road and different variations of speed reduction. To my knowledge, there is no recent empirical work with such a variety of roads. Most of the studies have been done on highways at the country or state level" says Professor Marie-Soleil Cloutier.
The researchers hope that these results will be used to enhance existing procedures and update technical speed guidance to assist Ministry's and municipal's decision-making on speed limit changes.
About the study
The article " The effect of speed reductions on collisions: A controlled before-and-after study in quebec, Canada ", co-authored by Marie-Soleil Cloutier of the Centre Urbanisation Culture Société of INRS and Ugo Lachapelle of the Département d'études urbaines et touristiques de l'École des sciences de la gestion de l'UQAM, was published in the Journal of Transport & Health on July 17, 2021. The study received financial support from the Department of Transportation. Professors Cloutier and Lachapelle are both involved in the INRS-UQAM urban studies joint programs.
About INRS
INRS is a university dedicated exclusively to graduate level research and training. Since its creation in 1969, INRS has played an active role in Québec's economic, social, and cultural development and is ranked first for research intensity in Québec and in Canada. INRS is made up of four interdisciplinary research and training centres in Québec City, Montréal, Laval, and Varennes, with expertise in strategic sectors: Eau Terre Environnement, Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications, Urbanisation Culture Société, and Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie. The INRS community includes more than 1,500 students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff.
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SOURCE Institut National de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
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Source: Julie Robert, Communications department - INRS, C : 514 971-4747, [email protected]
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