Money maker?

from Smart HIghways (June 2018)

According to the financial newspaper il Sole 24 Ore, in Italy alone, municipalities collect € 1,7 billion in speeding fines. And, as Paolo Sodi points out, many people wonder if this represents a ploy to replenish the often-empty municipal coffers. Here he argues there is a lot more to it than that.

Road transport systems have contributed enormously to the development of most countries in the world. By improving people’s ability to access education, employment and health care and enhancing the efficiency of businesses to provide goods and services, such systems have resulted in a number of positive economic and social benefits. However, there are also adverse consequences.
Rapid motorisation has frequently been accompanied by corresponding increases in fatal road traffic deaths and injuries, while many urban areas now face the additional challenges of increasing levels of air polution and associated rises in respiratory diseases and increasing congestion, which in turn are linked to reduced levels of physical activity and other health consequences. The World Health Organisation’s document “Managing Speed”, published in 2017, highlights how speed has a positive effect on mobility in terms of reducing transport times, but has a negative impact on road safety, influencing both the probability of a traffic accident and the severity of its conseguences.

You can click here to read the complete article.