| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1104564 | IATSS Research | 2016 | 7 Pages |
•It was previously established that corruption impacts road safety differently in high- and low-income countries.•This paper tests this theory in the case of Russia, a middle-income country.•It also explains why corruption has a sustainable character in Russia.•The article offers a more nuanced view on the role of law enforcement as a tool for enhancing road safety.•It shows the limitations of increasing penalties as a strategy for enhancing road safety.
Motorists deal with traffic police officers on a daily basis. In Russia, the operations of the traffic police are not transparent. Mass surveys show that contacts with traffic police officers represent a key source of corruption in this country. This article discusses the links between corruption in the traffic police and road safety. Corruption in the traffic police has a positive impact on road safety in Russia, a middle-income country. It suppresses economic growth and thus reduces the intensity of road use. In the current situation, Russian motorists have no incentive for fighting corruption: constantly growing fines and penalties for traffic offences increase the attractiveness of paying bribes compared to individual and/or collective protests. A vicious circle emerges as a result: corruption becomes self-sustainable. The official statistical data and results of a nationally representative sociological survey provide the data for the analysis. An instrumental variables analysis and multiple regression modelling are used in this study.
