IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v21y2012icp191-201.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Driving licenses based on points systems: Efficient road safety strategy or latest fashion in global transport policy? A worldwide meta-analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Castillo-Manzano, José I.
  • Castro-Nuño, Mercedes

Abstract

One of the most popular coactive measures developed to prevent road traffic accidents in recent decades is the implementation of driving licenses based on points systems (PS) which penalize repeat offenders with suspension or withdrawal of their licenses. This paper analyzes their rapid spread worldwide through an in-depth review of the existing literature. A comprehensive meta-analysis of the effects of PS on road traffic accidents and the duration of these effects has been conducted. The findings show that the strong initial positive impact (15 to 20% reductions in accidents, fatalities and injuries) seems to wear off in under eighteen months. This limited effectiveness is related to the absence of complementary enforcement to back up these measures. Without them, points systems could turn into a boomerang road safety policy, and even be abandoned at a later date. The implications of the conclusions for legislation and future research are considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes, 2012. "Driving licenses based on points systems: Efficient road safety strategy or latest fashion in global transport policy? A worldwide meta-analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 191-201.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:21:y:2012:i:c:p:191-201
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.02.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X12000273
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.02.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simona Benedettini & Antonio Nicita, 2009. "Deterrence, Incapacitation and Enforcement Design. Evidence from Traffic Enforcement in Italy," Department of Economics University of Siena 564, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    2. Priya, Tanu & Uteng, André, 2009. "Dynamics of transport and social exclusion: Effects of expensive driver's license," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 130-139, July.
    3. Wong, S.C. & Wong, C.W. & Sze, N.N., 2008. "Attitudes of public light bus drivers to penalties to combat red light violations in Hong Kong," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 43-54, January.
    4. Bourgeon, Jean-Marc & Picard, Pierre, 2007. "Point-record driving licence and road safety: An economic approach," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1-2), pages 235-258, February.
    5. Mohammed Ohidul Haque, 1990. "Evaluation of the Demerit Points System in Deterring Traffic Offenses," Evaluation Review, , vol. 14(1), pages 22-41, February.
    6. Georges Dionne & Jean Pinquet & Mathieu Maurice & Charles Vanasse, 2011. "Incentive Mechanisms for Safe Driving: A Comparative Analysis with Dynamic Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(1), pages 218-227, February.
    7. Novoa, A.M. & Pérez, K. & Santamarina-Rubio, E. & Marí-Dell'Olmo, M. & Ferrando, J. & Peiró, R. & Tobías, A. & Zori, P. & Borrell, C., 2010. "Impact of the penalty points system on road traffic injuries in Spain: A time-series study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(11), pages 2220-2227.
    8. Maria De Paola & Vincenzo Scoppa & Mariatiziana Falcone, 2010. "The Deterrent Effects of Penalty Point System in Driving Licenses: A Regression Discontinuity Approach," Working Papers 201004, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    9. Marcello Basili & Antonio Nicita, 2005. "Deterrence and Compliance in a Demerit Point System," Department of Economics University of Siena 458, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & Fageda, Xavier, 2015. "Are traffic violators criminals? Searching for answers in the experiences of European countries," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 86-94.
    2. Borsati, Mattia & Cascarano, Michele & Bazzana, Flavio, 2019. "On the impact of average speed enforcement systems in reducing highway accidents: Evidence from the Italian Safety Tutor," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    3. Martínez-Gabaldón, Eduardo & Méndez Martínez, Ildefonso & Martínez-Pérez, Jorge Eduardo, 2020. "Estimating the impact of the Penalty Point System on road fatalities in Spain," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-8.
    4. Marchetti, Dalmo & Wanke, Peter F., 2019. "Efficiency in rail transport: Evaluation of the main drivers through meta-analysis with resampling," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 83-100.
    5. Silvia Bruzzone & Stefano Castriota & Mirco Tonin, 2021. "Points Or Prison? The Effects Of Different Sanctions On Driving Behavior," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(1), pages 126-140, January.
    6. Mercedes Castro-Nuño & José I. Castillo-Manzano & Xavier Fageda, 2015. "Do more trucks lead to more motor vehicle fatalities in European roads? Evaluating the impact of specific safety strategies," ERSA conference papers ersa15p306, European Regional Science Association.
    7. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & Fageda, Xavier, 2016. "Exploring the relationship between truck load capacity and traffic accidents in the European Union," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 94-109.
    8. Yongfeng Ma & Xin Gu & Ya’nan Yu & Aemal J. Khattakc & Shuyan Chen & Kun Tang, 2021. "Identification of Contributing Factors for Driver’s Perceptual Bias of Aggressive Driving in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-18, January.
    9. José Castillo-Manzano & Mercedes Castro-Nuño & Xavier Fageda, 2014. "Can health public expenditure reduce the tragic consequences of road traffic accidents? The EU-27 experience," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 15(6), pages 645-652, July.
    10. Sebri, Maamar, 2015. "Use renewables to be cleaner: Meta-analysis of the renewable energy consumption–economic growth nexus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 657-665.
    11. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & Pedregal-Tercero, Diego J., 2014. "Temporary speed limit changes: An econometric estimation of the effects of the Spanish Energy Efficiency and Saving Plan," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(S1), pages 68-76.
    12. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & López-Valpuesta, Lourdes & Pedregal, Diego J., 2019. "From legislation to compliance: The power of traffic law enforcement for the case study of Spain," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-9.
    13. Daniel Albalate, 2013. "The Road against Fatalities: Infrastructure Spending vs. Regulation?," ERSA conference papers ersa13p221, European Regional Science Association.
    14. Mercedes Castro-Nuno & Jose I. Castillo-Manzano & Xavier Fageda, 2013. "The 'Europeanization' Of The Common Road Safety Policy: An Econometric Analysis," ERSA conference papers ersa13p50, European Regional Science Association.
    15. Wafa Boulagouas & Susana García-Herrero & Rachid Chaib & Juan Diego Febres & Miguel Ángel Mariscal & Mébarek Djebabra, 2020. "An Investigation into Unsafe Behaviors and Traffic Accidents Involving Unlicensed Drivers: A Perspective for Alignment Measurement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-26, September.
    16. Georges Dionne & Ying Liu, 2021. "Effects of Insurance Incentives on Road Safety: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in China," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(2), pages 453-477, April.
    17. Yolanda Rebollo-Sanz & Jesús Rodríguez-López & Nùria Rodríguez-Planas, 2018. "Penalty-Point System, Deterrence and Road Safety: An Empirical Approach," Working Papers 18.14, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Economics.
    18. Navarro-Moreno, José & de Oña, Juan & Calvo-Poyo, Francisco, 2023. "How do road infrastructure investments affect Powered Two-Wheelers crash risk?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 60-73.
    19. Veisten, Knut & Stefan, Christian & Winkelbauer, Martin, 2013. "Standing in cost-benefit analysis of road safety measures: A case of speed enforcement vs. speed change," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 269-274.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Benedettini, Simona & Nicita, Antonio, 2012. "The costs of avoiding accidents: Selective compliance and the ‘Peltzman effect’ in Italy," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 256-270.
    2. Antonio Nicita & Simona Benedettini, 2012. "The Costs of Avoiding Accidents.Selective Compliance and the 'Peltzman Effect' in Italy," Department of Economics University of Siena 631, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    3. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & López-Valpuesta, Lourdes & Pedregal, Diego J., 2019. "From legislation to compliance: The power of traffic law enforcement for the case study of Spain," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-9.
    4. Traxler, Christian & Westermaier, Franz G. & Wohlschlegel, Ansgar, 2018. "Bunching on the Autobahn? Speeding responses to a ‘notched’ penalty scheme," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 78-94.
    5. Martínez-Gabaldón, Eduardo & Méndez Martínez, Ildefonso & Martínez-Pérez, Jorge Eduardo, 2020. "Estimating the impact of the Penalty Point System on road fatalities in Spain," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-8.
    6. Dionne, Georges & Michaud, Pierre-Carl & Pinquet, Jean, 2013. "A review of recent theoretical and empirical analyses of asymmetric information in road safety and automobile insurance," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 85-97.
    7. Jean Pinquet, 2012. "Experience rating in non-life insurance," Working Papers hal-00677100, HAL.
    8. Marcello Basili & Filippo Belloc & Simona Benedettini & Antonio Nicita, 2012. "Warning, Learning and Compliance: Evidence from Micro-data on Driving Behavior," Department of Economics University of Siena 639, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    9. Silvia Bruzzone & Stefano Castriota & Mirco Tonin, 2021. "Points Or Prison? The Effects Of Different Sanctions On Driving Behavior," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(1), pages 126-140, January.
    10. Dionne, Georges, 2012. "The empirical measure of information problems with emphasis on insurance fraud and dynamic data," Working Papers 12-10, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.
    11. Dionne, Georges & Harrington, Scott, 2017. "Insurance and Insurance Markets," Working Papers 17-2, HEC Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Risk Management.
    12. Chandler, Vincent, 2012. "Assessing the Impact of Deterrence on Road Safety due to the Demerit Point System," MPRA Paper 39439, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Georges Dionne & Ying Liu, 2021. "Effects of Insurance Incentives on Road Safety: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in China," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(2), pages 453-477, April.
    14. Kibrom A. Abay, 2018. "How Effective Are Non‐Monetary Instruments for Safe Driving? Panel Data Evidence on the Effect of the Demerit Point System in Denmark," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(3), pages 894-924, July.
    15. Vincent Chandler & Lealand Morin & Jeffrey Penney, 2023. "Penalties for speeding and their effect on moving violations: Evidence from Quebec drivers," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(1), pages 225-246, February.
    16. Rebollo-Sanz, Yolanda & Rodríguez-López, Jesús & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2021. "Penalty-point system, deterrence and road safety: A quasi-experimental analysis," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 408-433.
    17. Abay, Kibrom A. & Kahsay, Goytom Abraha, 2018. "Long-term effects of alternative deterrence policies: Panel data evidence from traffic punishments in Denmark," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-19.
    18. Maria De Paola & Vincenzo Scoppa & Mariatiziana Falcone, 2013. "The deterrent effects of the penalty points system for driving offences: a regression discontinuity approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 965-985, October.
    19. Almunia, Miguel & Gaete, Gonzalo, 2017. "Points To Save Lives: The Effects of Traffic Enforcement Policies on Road Fatalities," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 348, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    20. Grant, Darren, 2016. "A structural analysis of U.S. drunk driving policy," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 14-22.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:21:y:2012:i:c:p:191-201. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.