Does Proactive Policing Improve Road Safety?

• In Event: Traffic and Road Safety

Abstract

One of the primary goals of proactive policing is to prevent or address safety-related issues in the community, not just to enforce the law. For instance, police traffic stops are conducted to enforce the law and prevent future car accidents, with the expectation of deterrent effects. However, there has been ongoing debate about whether police intentionally implement traffic stops as a means of generating revenue or exerting power in certain neighborhoods. Despite this, the relationship between police traffic stop activities and the number of car accidents remains under-documented.This study aims to examine the relationship between proactive policing activities and the number of car accidents in neighborhoods by analyzing data from various sources, including the socio-economic and ecological characteristics of neighborhoods. Various geospatial and regression-oriented statistical analyses are employed in the study. Finally, practical implications are discussed based on the empirical evidence.

Authors

• Sungil Han, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Hyunhee Kim, Kyonggi University

• Jeong-Hyeon Chang, Kyonggi University

• Euigab Hwang, Kyonggi University