Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36379715›Full record

ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2022

Investigating the impact of a 20 miles per hour speed limit intervention on road traffic collisions, casualties, speed and volume in Belfast, UK: 3 year follow-up outcomes of a natural experiment.

Ruth F Hunter, Claire L Cleland, John Busby, Glenna Nightingale, Frank Kee, Andrew James Williams, Paul Kelly, Michael P Kelly, Karen Milton, Kelly Kokka and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Ruth F HunterCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK ruth.hunter@qub.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7315-0382
Claire L ClelandCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
John BusbyCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Glenna NightingaleScottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Frank KeeCentre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Andrew James WilliamsSchool of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2175-8836
Paul KellyPhysical Activity for Health Research Centre (PHARC), Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Michael P KellyDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK.
Karen MiltonNorwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK.
Kelly KokkaMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Ruth JepsonScottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/K023209/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvidence regarding the effectiveness of 20 miles per hour (mph) speed limit interventions is limited, and rarely have long-term outcomes been assessed. We investigate the effect of a 20 mph speed limit intervention on road traffic collisions, casualties, speed and volume at 1 and 3 years post-implementation.

methodsAn observational, repeated cross-sectional design was implemented, using routinely collected data for road traffic collisions, casualties, speed and volume. We evaluated difference-in-differences in collisions and casualties (intervention vs control) across three different time series and traffic speed and volume pre-implementation, at 1 and 3 years post-implementation.

resultsSmall reductions in road traffic collisions were observed at year 1 (3%; p=0.82) and year 3 post-implementation (15%; p=0.31) at the intervention site. Difference-in-differences analyses showed no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control sites over time for road traffic collisions. There were 16% (p=0.18) and 22% (p=0.06) reductions in casualty rates at years 1 and 3 post-implementation, respectively, at the intervention site. Results showed little change in mean traffic speed at year 1 (0.2 mph, 95% CI -0.3 to 2.4, p=0.14) and year 3 post-implementation (0.8, 95% CI -1.5 to 2.5, p=0.17). For traffic volume, a decrease in 57 vehicles per week was observed at year 1 (95% CI -162 to -14, p<0.00) and 71 vehicles at year 3 (95% CI -213 to 1, p=0.05) post-implementation.

conclusionA 20 mph speed limit intervention implemented at city centre scale had little impact on long-term outcomes including road traffic collisions, casualties and speed, except for a reduction in traffic volume. Policymakers considering implementing 20 mph speed limit interventions should consider the fidelity, context and scale of implementation.

Indexed as

EPIDEMIOLOGYPREVENTIONPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID36379715
PMCPMC9763225

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.