NCJ Number
216461
Journal
Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 411-433
Date Published
November 2006
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study explored gender differences in response to speed cameras in England by comparing the findings of a 1994 study and a 2003 study on the behavioral responses of drivers to speed camera.
Abstract
An analysis of the two studies revealed that women and men responded to speed cameras in a similar way in the mid-1990s, perhaps due to limited experience with speed cameras. Attitudinally, however, men and women differed, with women expressing more positive attitudes toward speed cameras than men. The youngest men and women drivers, however, were united in their more negative attitudes toward speed cameras. The 2003 study uncovered changed behavioral responses to the cameras. More drivers described themselves as manipulators of the cameras and fewer described themselves as deterred by the cameras. Men remained less positive about the cameras than women. Younger drivers still had the most negative attitudes about the cameras, but the negative attitudes were not as pronounced as they were in the mid-1990s. The findings suggest that educational campaigns about road safety should be targeted to men as well as to the youngest drivers. The 1994 speed camera study used a quasi-experimental design to gain self-report data on drivers’ speed-choice behavior and perceptions about speed cameras. The study gained survey responses from over 6,800 respondents and interview data from a subset of 100 respondents. The 2003 study collected short questionnaire data regarding speed camera behaviors and perceptions from 1,133 drivers inside the store of a gas station. Mann-Witney U-tests were used to compare the behavioral patterns and perceptions of men and women in response to speed cameras. Tables, figure, notes, references