Effects of Information Provision Activities in Streets on Driving Speeds

Traffic accidents in the streets have become a very serious issue in Japan. In order to reduce the traffic accidents in the streets, a proper speed reduction of the vehicle is important. Although there are many approaches to make the vehicles reduce the speed, this study focuses on a user measures to encourage the speed reduction by providing the information. Recent years, there was a traffic calming study in which some people stand the roadside and then remind the drivers to decrease their driving speeds by showing the vehicle's speed. In this study, by referring the existed study, we tried to grasp the measurement issues from the viewpoint of vehicle behavior such as reduction of the speed, evaluation by the drivers and neighborhoods consciousness, and possibility of the supports by the government in this area. Results obtained in this study are as follows. 1) When provided speed information for the over speed limit vehicles, it was found that the speed is reduced markedly near the provision position. 2) Vehicle speed provision activities were accepted favorably to the driver. In addition, the trend was noticeable to the driver who lives in the vicinity of the activities. 3) It was recognized by neighborhoods that vehicle speed provision activities are effective compared to the traffic safety campaign activity as usual. In addition, the tendency was more remarkable in the people who recognized that the vehicle speed in the street was fast. 4) The problems listed by the road administrators for the spread of vehicle speed information provision activities were the relations with other policies, the generalization of the effects, and consideration for the trouble evasion.