PW 1077 Challenges that hinders the application of the road safety regulation: a local law enforcement (LLE) officer’s perspective in mexico

Objective Explore how the LLE’s work context affects the application of driving speed regulation. Methodology To carry out this study a qualitative approach was used. We designed semi structured interviews and applied them to eight LLE officers in the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico. The interviews allowed exploring the importance of speed, its impact in RTI and the application of the law to reduce this risk factor. The interview covered three main subjects: 1) general topics, 2) perceived severity of speed and 3) perceived barriers and benefits of speed law enforcement. For its design, WHO/PAHO documents and legislation were used. All interviews were transcribed, and a speech analysis was made using the Atlas.ti software. Results Eight interviews were applied (we obtained theoretical saturation). 27 codes were identified, which were organized in 6 categories. (1) Background/Training, (2) Knowledge of speed, (3) Impact of speed, (4) Speed limit benefits, (5) Cuernavaca’s speed context and (6) Institution and education. Officers mentioned they received training to identify speed, however it is useless because they don’t have the equipment to measure it and cannot enforce regulation. All officers identified ‘Speed’ as a danger and common in Cuernavaca, they recognize the high impact it has on health; also, different mechanism to measure it. They stated some difficulties that prevents them to apply regulation (lack of speed measure equipment and technical knowledge) and the benefits of speed limits. They also mentioned public transportation operators and young drivers as regular speed offenders. Conclusions We got to explore LLE’s working context. Authorities must be encouraged to prioritize efforts to improve this context. The benefits of measurement technology must be highlighted, demonstrating the impact in the reduction of speed. In addition, it is urgent to continue working with LLE, they are the cornerstone in which speed control strategies are sustained.