Law enforcement officers work hard each day to keep communities safe in a variety of ways, including traffic policing. While some methods, such as highway patrols are more known and visible, other more covert strategies like traffic data collection often go unnoticed.
As much as the average member of the public can be trusted to keep themselves and the people around them safe, it only takes one reckless driver to create a tragedy. We use cars so frequently that we rarely think about the risks; it can be easy to forget that one drunk driver, or someone speeding – whether intentionally or not – can ruin lives. Traffic police save lives every day, and one of the most important tools they rely on is traffic data collection.
Some members of the public may think that local traffic regulations, speed limits, and signage are arbitrarily assigned according to the whims of whatever authority manages the local roads. However, we live in a data-driven world, and traffic management is no exception.
Here in the USA, the formal collection of traffic data goes all the way back to the 1930s, with early traffic engineers manually collecting data to help decision-makers set their policies. Of course, we now use far more sophisticated, automated methods that allow for more accurate data collection and effective intervention.
Overt Vs. Covert Traffic Data Collection
We all know the effect that an officer armed with handheld RADAR, in-car RADAR or police LIDAR has on traffic. More often than not, speeders react and slow down to avoid being caught. Some drivers who spot speed traps may try to communicate and warn other drivers. Others even go to the lengths of buying their own radar detectors to avoid being caught, although the legality of these devices still differs from state to state.
This is, even more, the case for stationary RADAR devices, as local residents learn their locations and adjust their speed accordingly. While some drivers get caught and fined, others will manage to react in time and get away with exceeding speed limits.
While not 100 percent effective, RADAR and LIDAR are a type of traffic monitoring that represents a clear overall benefit for the community. In the process of monitoring roadways in real time, law enforcement officials are also able to directly benefit from traffic data collection, allowing agencies to deploy enforcement at precise times when there has been historic speeding.
However, overt traffic data collection only demonstrates driver behaviors when they’re being watched. Because this tells only part of the story, law enforcement relies on covert traffic data collection for more ‘natural’ traffic data. When the data is being collected as unobtrusively as possible, for example by an inconspicuous box attached to a post, we get a far more accurate sense of traffic behavior. Rather than trying to catch people or directly alter their behavior on the road, covert data collection benefits longer-term traffic solutions.
A great three-step approach for traffic safety would be to implement the following steps:
- Measure and analyze speeding patterns covertly with traffic data collection.
- Warn speeding drivers with RADAR speed displays or SMART messaging trailers.
- Enforce with handheld RADAR, handheld LIDAR, and in-car RADAR.
After step 2, your agency can compare the data from the covert data collection with the speeding data after deploying RADAR displays to look for signs of traffic calming. This is a quantitative way to measure the effectiveness of traffic calming efforts.
How Does It Work?
Covert traffic data collection is usually performed by a discreetly placed unit that looks like a locked metal box. Locations are either chosen due to resident complaints or at accident hotspots. Units can also be moved from one spot to another on a rotating basis.
The box is mounted on a pole and is completely unobtrusive; most drivers won’t even see it. If they do notice it, the unit will likely be mistaken for an electrical box or traffic light signal box. While older data units used road tubes to count vehicles, modern units use a directional K-band RADAR for more accurate data collection. New RADAR-based units have long-life batteries, so they can be left in one place for a week or more.
The data can then be downloaded and manually or automatically arranged into graphs, charts, and reports. These reports are then used internally by the local police and shared with policymakers. The data collection unit doesn’t require any human intervention after being set up and can monitor the area 24/7 without drivers even being aware of its presence.
How Is the Data Applied?
One of the biggest advantages of having accurate traffic data is that it avoids wasting police manpower. Departments working without accurate data have to rely on a more hit-and-miss approach to catching speeders. Complaints from local residents about speeding need to be investigated each time by officers; this takes them away from larger cases while often remaining inconclusive.
Departments with accurate data, on the other hand, can deploy their officers in a more targeted manner. This goes beyond simply finding locations with a high rate of traffic violations, but also looking at particular times of day or days of the week. This can be used both for general traffic enforcement and in identifying individual traffic violators. In the case of hot spots with consistent issues, the department may also share the collected data with their town councils or local governments to affect decision-making in terms of posted speed limits, signage, and so on.
Clearly, the safest and most effective approach to traffic policing is a mix of these two methodologies. Covert data collection should be used initially to give departments a clear and accurate idea of how, where, and when to deploy their resources, before applying specific strategies to control and improve driver behavior.
Discreet Traffic Data Collection with StealthStat II
The StealthStat II traffic data collector from Kustom Signals gives law enforcement agencies the ability to conduct covert traffic analysis in targeted areas. Compact in size, the unit is easy to install on most roadside poles or signposts with the included mounting hardware. Kustom Signals’s proven SMARTstat Analysis Software is easy-to-use, allowing for:
- Quick analysis of traffic data for verification of speeding complaints
- Discerning the best times to deploy officers
- Gathering grant application data
- Determining peak road usage times.
The low profile housing of the StealthStat II is in an IP-68 weatherproof and secure enclosure, which is lightweight, compact, simple to install, and easy to set up with custom traffic surveys.
Whatever your traffic law enforcement needs, from traffic data collection to RADAR or LIDAR devices, Kustom Signals has the products, knowledge, and experience to assist your department. Contact us today.