title: [Evaluation of a police strategy for road safety in Quebec: the strategy of the Quebec Association of Police Chiefs].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the effect on collisions of a police traffic safety strategy carried out between January and December 2007, in the province of Quebec, Canada.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This strategy was implemented by several key players (Société de I'Assurance Automobile du Québec, Sûreté du Québec, Montreal Police Department and 34 other municipal police organizations) and targeted the leading causes of traffic casualties such as drinking and driving, speeding and not wearing a seat belt. The strategy has two main components: 1) joint law enforcement operations in which all the police organizations take part, and 2) police organizations targeting local traffic safety problems. Media campaigns supported all operations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over the intervention period, traffic citations issued for speed limit violations, not fastening the seat belt and running the red light or a stop sign increased from 2006 rates by 27, 33 and 8%, respectively. The Société de I'Assurance Automobile du Québec spent more than $5 million in mass media campaigns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to our results, the strategy was associated with decreases varying between 14 and 36% in collisions with serious injuries. In spite of evidence of downward trends for the period under investigation, neither fatal nor minor injury collisions were significantly affected by introduction of the strategy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Police programs characterized by a substantial increase in the distribution of traffic citations and supported by mass media campaigns represent an effective strategy to prevent traffic casualties.
authors.affiliation: Ecole de criminologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC.
authors.forename: Marie-Eve
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gagné
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blais
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D016495:Police; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011792:Quebec; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*