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The current paper deals with the debate over centralization versus decentralization in road safety management, and specifically in traffic law enforcement. We address the case study of Spain, where a single traffic law acquis is enforced by two systems: road policing decentralized for some regions and national road policing for all others. Our econometric findings reveal that the Spanish regions with centralized traffic policing present better safety figures, which might be useful for reinforcing the coordinated performance of road safety policy in other traditionally decentralized countries. Furthermore, our evidence indicates that cautious analyses have to be carried out on a case-by-case basis.

Using a dynamic transfer function model-based methodology, this study analyzes the joint influence of legislation changes, enforcement and compliance with driving regulations in terms of road fatalities in Spain during the 2005–2015 time period. Three robust econometric models demonstrate that two of the road safety law reforms recently implemented in Spain, the points-based driver's license and the toughening of the Penal Code, have had positive impacts, albeit with varying durations. Their impacts are also seen to have been reinforced by the application of a range of monitoring instruments to track compliance. The most effective of these include radar speed measuring devices, the mere presence of which has the desired deterrent effect irrespective of the positive proof that they might detect. However, lack of compliance with maximum alcohol limits seems to increase road fatalities, which suggests that a more complex preventive strategy needs to be developed through a combination of programmed actions. Lastly, the irreplaceable deterrence role of traffic police who enforce compliance with driving laws stands out, with the number of officers deployed being decisive.

Speed plays an important role in road safety as it affects accident risk and severity. Among safety policies implemented to control driving speed, speed limits are the most highly developed. Since the 1970′s, numerous studies have focused on the effectiveness of speed limits, but even today there is still no clear consensus as to the impact that raising the speed limit has on traffic fatalities. With the aim of consolidating knowledge on this topic, a meta-analysis has been carried out of a set of econometric studies assessing the effects on traffic fatalities of increasing speed limits in the US. Two sub-samples were obtained, taken from the traffic fatality measures considered by studies (fatality count and fatality rate normalized per vehicle miles traveled), and two approaches were analyzed: rural interstates (where speed limits were increased in 1987 and 1995), and a statewide approach (all roads network). Our findings show that by count traffic fatalities went up on both rural interstates and statewide level, although the effect was higher on rural interstates. In other respects, statewide fatality rates could be improved in relative terms by raising legal speed limits, although the effect would be weak.

One of the principal causes of tourist deaths worldwide appears to be road accidents. However, the literature rarely addresses tourist road safety by exploring spatial variations. This paper covers the gap that exists as to how tourism can influence road safety (as a negative externality) and examines the case of Spanish NUTS-3 regions, particularly interesting due to Spain having been the world’s second most-visited country for five consecutive years. Our findings show a higher traffic accident rate for foreign drivers and indicate that tourism traffic safety is a relevant topic that should be incorporated into road safety policy planning.

The number of internationally recognized Michelin-starred restaurants in a place is a new trend used to measure a tourist destination’s culinary standard. The purpose of this study is to close the gap created by the lack of econometric studies on the tourist attraction of Michelin-starred res- taurants, especially in Spain. Panel data methodology is applied to 50 Spanish NUTS-3 regions over a broad time period (2000–2016) to assess the impact of Michelin-starred restaurants on tourism demand from both domestic and foreign tourists. The findings show that restaurant quality is more important than quantity in the gastronomy–tourism relationship and that Michelin-starred res- taurants are a strong attraction for foreign tourists. Some policies are suggested, such as the development of Culinary Schools and marketing campaigns to promote haute cuisine tourism.

Eco-labels such as Blue Flags can be effective for enhancing both sustainability and tourism. Given the ongoing political debate on the effectiveness of Blue Flags for promoting tourism, we analyze the impact of the number of Blue Flag beaches on tourist arrivals (international and domestic, respectively) for Spanish coastal provinces. Panel data techniques are used to evaluate Blue Flags econometrically for the longest and most recent time period in the literature (2000– 2019). Findings suggest that Blue Flags are effective at promoting international tourism but not domestic tourism. Different patterns for international and domestic tourists mean that differentiated policies should be applied. Junta de Andalucía US-15508

No consensus has been reached on the effectiveness of World Heritage Sites (WHSs) in attracting tourism. This paper analyzes the impact of WHSs on tourist demand in Spain at a disaggregated level for all Spanish provinces (NUTS-3 regions), based on original panel data for 50 Spanish provinces for the 2000–2019 period. The results show a positive impact of WHSs on domestic and foreign tourism demand when considering all the provinces together and that the first WHSs (designated in the 1980s) have a greater tourism-enhancing effect (“first generation effect”). However, there are differences between Spanish inland and coastal provinces: only cultural WHSs have an impact on tourism in inland provinces, whereas, in coastal provinces, only natural WHSs have the power of tourism attraction.

Introduction: The European Union (EU) has developed different strategies to internalize the costs of excessive motor traffic in the road freight transport sector. One of these is a relaxation of restrictions on the size and load capacity of trucks that circulate between member States and a proposal has been made for Longer and Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) to be allowed to circulate across borders. LHVs are the so-called “megatrucks” (i.e., trucks with a length of 25 meters and a weight of 60 tonnes). Megatrucks have allowed to circulate for decades in some European countries such as Norway, Finland, and Sweden, world leaders in traffic accident prevention, although the impact that cross-border traffic would have on road safety is still unknown. Methods: This article provides an econometric analysis of the potential impact on road safety of allowing the circulation of “megatrucks” throughout the EU. Results: The findings show that countries that currently allow megatrucks to circulate present lower traffic accident and fatality levels, on average. Conclusions: The circulation of this type of vehicle is only advisable in countries where there is a certain degree of maturity and demonstrated achievements in the field of road safety. Practical applications: European countries that have allowed megatruck circulation obtaining better road safety outcomes in terms of accidents, although the accident lethality rate seems to be higher. Consequently, introducing megatruck circulation requires a prior proper preparation and examination.

The traditional unidimensional approach used in road safety research to assess road safety performance is based on achievements in outcomes, such as number of traffic accidents, fatalities and injuries. However, taking into account the complex nature of the road safety framework, a multidimensional approach may be advisable in which all agents involved in the decision making process are properly represented. This article provides two multidimensional safety indicators that combine a set of criteria related to economics, demographics and sustainable urban transportation to assess urban road safety performance in 50 Spanish provinces (NUTS-3 regions). Multicriteria Decision Making Analysis (MDMA) is used to determine the set of factors that should be prioritized to minimize urban traffic accidents and fatalities. Using an objective weighting method for the chosen criteria, the obtained results point to aspects associated with the degree of urban development being the most important factors in discriminating and ranking the alternatives (provinces). Consequently, elements such as higher urban population and services concentration, and more advanced both transport systems and roads network, are related to safer urban areas. The two proposed safety indexes can provide policymakers with a useful tool for decision making in the area of urban road safety by identifying key attributes that should be promoted in urban planning.

Successive changes to the legal framework affecting the Spanish Port System have been implemented over the last 25 years, forcing maritime operators to adapt to new rules. Based on a comprehensive literature review of studies addressing Spanish port devolution, our paper provides the most up-to-date evaluation of the impacts of these changes. Apart from the correlation between port activity and the economic cycle, an encouraging finding highlighted here is that legal reforms underpinned by broad political and port community consensus appear to be effective in attracting passenger and container traffic.

Using a robust transfer function model methodology, the present paper seeks to offer empirical evidence regarding the size and type of effects that low-cost carriers (LCCs) have had on traffic for charter carriers (CCs) in the Spanish airport system by geographic market. We show an unmistakable substitution relationship between CCs and LCCs in the latter's typical niche markets, national and European flights, while there is no reaction from the CCs in the segment of international flights outside the EU. Furthermore, substitution effects are smaller between CCs and LCCs on the domestic level than effects between LCCs and network carriers (NCs) and slightly larger on the European level. Lastly, CC traffic's different sensitivity to terrorist attacks, day of the week, air accidents and the economic crisis is also evident. CCs should therefore be considered an independent category that warrants individualized analyses.

There has been a structural change in mobility in major Spanish cities in recent decades, with a switch to the pattern followed in other countries in the area. A shift has taken place from a tradit...

Cycling promotion has without doubt been the most intensive policy seen in Seville in the 21 st century as far as the use of public land is concerned. In the current context, economic tools need to be applied to rigorously assess the efficiency and economic rationality of cycling infrastructure investments. This article provides a Cost-Benefit Analysis to estimate the economic and social returns on investments from the construction of a bicycle lane network in the city of Seville (Spain). This kind of studies tries to contribute to mitigating the degree of conflict associated with a land policy that breaks with the traditional status quo. The case study is especially relevant due to the successful public policy implemented in recent years to transform the Seville's urban mobility model into a sustainable system. Based on fieldwork with two survey campaigns conducted among the different cyclist profiles (private bicycle users and public bicycle sharing system users), we analyze two major effects: modal change and changes in journey time. Our robust findings, subjected to a sensitivity analysis, point to the remarkable economic benefits of the bicycle promotion policy in Seville, with significant savings in travel times, vehicle use and infrastructure maintenance, health, traffic accidents, and air pollution for both cyclists and society as a whole.

•The correlation between tourism and High Speed Rail system in Europe is explored.•The HSR network has been expanding in the European Union for three decades.•Lower levels of Gross Domestic Product and hospitality prices attract more tourism.•HSR is more correlate with domestic tourism and air transport with foreign tourism in Europe.•A complementary effect between both transportation modes to boost tourism development.

Based around fieldwork in Seville (Spain), our article provides an empirical analysis with the aim of determining whether different typologies of cyclists exist depending on the type of bicycle for urban commuting (public bicycle/private bicycle). Our findings show that users of public bicycles are predominantly male, young, with a high level of education, and basically use the public bicycle for subsistence trips due to its easy intermodality; while private bicycle riders are mainly females who regularly make nonsubsistence trips and prefer a more flexible bicycle for their daily needs.

This article examines the determinants of traffic generated by Spain's port authorities, using data from 2003 to 2012. The interest of the study lies on examining the impact of recent legislative measures that have implied an increasing liberalization of port charges. We find that port charges influence the amount of traffic that a port is able to generate, while traffic is also affected by geographical attributes, economic wealth, the extent of industrial activity and population. Our main result is that we find evidence that the legislation of 2003 did not have a significant impact on traffic while the impact of the legislation of 2010 seems to have been stronger. Political conflicts associated to a lack of consensus on the approbation of the 2003 legislation plus a clear decline in tariff freedom wiped out the inter-port competition slightly promoted by earlier laws, versus the 2010 reform featured by a strong political agreement and a flexible port charges framework.

An increasing number of studies have addressed the impact of Audience Response Systems (ARS) on academic performance at all stages of education, although the evidence does not seem conclusive. With the aim of shedding light on the extent and diversity of the research outcomes, we conduct a meta-analysis of studies worldwide on this topic to assess whether the exam scores of students included in ARS experiments achieve better results than others taught using more conventional teaching tools. From an initial sample of 254 studies, data from 51 papers published between 2008 and 2012 (involving 14,963 participants) that set academic quality criteria, were extracted and analyzed following technical protocols for meta-analyses. Their high degree of heterogeneity shows that the effect of ARS on exam scores seems to be moderated by specific features. So, through a random-effects model, our results provide a positive, although moderated pooled effect of ARS on examination scores that is much greater in experiments performed in non-university contexts (Hedges' g?=?0.48; S.E.?=?.2665) than at the university level (Hedge's g?=?0.22, S.E.?=?.0434). Specifically, the categories of university disciplines in which ARS interventions are implemented seem to influence their usefulness for achieving better academic marks, being more effective when either Pure Soft Sciences or Applied Hard Sciences are considered. These findings might provide guidance for governments, researchers and educators into the effectiveness of learning based on the new interactive technologies. The prior literature offers no consensus on the effect of ARS on examination scores in education.Our research conducts a meta-analysis to synthesize all recent ARS evaluations worldwide.Our results suggest that there is a positive, although moderated effect of ARS on examination scores.The effect of ARS is greater in non-university education than at the university level.In university disciplines, ARS is more effective in Pure Soft and Applied Hard Sciences.

Applying econometric techniques to EU28 panel data and controlling for explanatory variables such as road types, we find that increased truck load capacity does not necessarily aggravate road traffic safety. Specifically, heavy trucks do not seem to be linked with greater numbers of traffic fatalities/accidents, medium trucks appear to be the worst performers in terms of fatalities, and light trucks seem to be the worst for accidents. In summary, our results clarify the complex relationship between truck load capacity and road safety, pointing to the existence of a negative correlation for accidents per capita and an inverse U-shaped curve for fatalities per capita.

The recent economic crisis has required the bailout of some European States by the so-called Troika, with capital injections accompanied by financial austerity. This paper analyzes econometrically the impact of this support programme on road safety for an original panel data (1995–2015). The findings also corroborate the Kuznets curve hypothesis for traffic accidents in the long term. Regarding the impact of intervention in the short term, despite reductions in safety policy budgets due to austerity, financial support, and related austerity measures might have led to an improvement in road safety, reducing both the number of accidents and fatalities. Therefore, it seems that our result is more linked to the austerity measures than to the financial support given by the Troika.

The past decade’s trend toward super-sized cruise ships has enriched the experience for cruise passengers. Unlike a small number of mega cruises that have chosen to press on in a luxury–classic style, the vast majority are rapidly converging on a Las Vegas resorts-style tourism model. Aside from the traditional factor that Las Vegas and cruises have in common, that is, the casino, this article analyzes other aspects of this increasingly mimetic relationship, with the following standing out: the greater importance given to entertainment; the greater variety and quality of Food and Beverage (F&B) and shopping choices; an informal dress code; a complex, dynamic management as to both prices and extracting monopoly rents from passengers; the expansion of both models outside their original locations, Las Vegas and the Caribbean; and, lastly, in response to previous trends, an oligopoly market.

Despite the success achieved by Public Bicycle Sharing Systems (PBSS) across the world, several researchers provide evidence on their limitations and constraints in a medium-long term, and bicycle ownership may be considered as a complementary tool to promote a ’bicycle-culture’. This paper aims to cover the gap about the interaction between both systems (public bicycle/private bicycle) and which are the key aspects to explain the bicycle-buying decision. After a fieldwork based on surveys conducted in Seville (Spain), one of the cities currently acknowledged worldwide for its successful policy of promoting cycling, we apply a Discrete Choice Model. Our findings show that among the socio-demographic factors that favor the move from the PBSS to the private bicycle are: having a higher level of education, being more progressive ideologically-speaking, and being a resident of the city itself; while age and gender do not appear to be conclusive. Experienced users, for whom the bicycle is a part of his/her healthy lifestyle, state a greater willingness to buy a bicycle. And the main obstacles to make the jump from the PBSS to the private bicycle, and that any action plan to support private bicycle usage should take into account, are: the lack of proper parking at the origin/destination, and fear of theft.

We examine the impact on the traffic accident rate of the interaction between trucks and cars on Europe's roads using a panel data set that covers the period 1999-2010. We find that rising motorization rates for trucks lead to higher traffic fatalities, while rising motorization rates for cars do not. Empirically, the model we build predicts the positive impact of stricter speed limit legislation for trucks in the reduction of road fatalities. These findings lend support to European strategies and aimed at promoting alternative modes of freight transport, including rail and maritime transport.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate how audience response system ( ARS) technology may increase improvements in academic performance in higher education, using the first year of the Administration and Business Management degree course at the University of Seville ( Spain) as a case study. The experiment assesses whether the use of ARSs increases the likelihood that students will pass the final examinations in the subject of Principles of Economics. An econometric model is applied to a sample of 119 students in an intervention group, with a control group of 322. The statistically significant results show that at the very least, ARSs improve performance in the theoretical examination, albeit with certain limitations. It is concluded that ARSs should be used frequently to optimize outcomes, not just as a sporadic event during the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The connection between crime and road safety is a relatively recent topic in academic research, although most studies have focused on the link between criminal behavior and traffic offenses, and only a few authors discuss the possible relationship with traffic accident fatalities. Evidence worldwide shows that people who commit other offenses characteristic of antisocial attitudes are more likely to have road traffic accidents and infringe traffic laws. We examine the records of the 28 current member states of the European Union over the 1999-2010 period. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that crime rates (and specifically, motor vehicle-related crimes) can be considered as predictors of fatal road traffic accidents. If they can be, this could be prima facie justification, at least, of the trend in several countries to consider traffic offenses as crimes in their penal codes and to toughen the punishment imposed on those who commit them. The effect of the severity of the legal system applied to traffic offenses is also analyzed. From a geographical point of view, our results reveal that road traffic fatality rates are higher in countries where the behavior of the inhabitants is more aggressive, while the rates are lower in countries with more severe penal systems. Language: en

Some similarities can be seen in the drink driving policies of European Union (EU) countries but there are also some major differences. Although all member States are aware of the need to address the problem, there are considerable differences in aspects such as blood alcohol limits, alcohol prices and the enforcement of alcohol control laws. Considering that these policies are in place in specific economic and cultural contexts, we evaluate the effectiveness of the set of control policies implemented in the EU in terms of traffic fatality rates following the recent enlargement process. For this, we use a panel during the period 1999–2012 controlling for several explanatory economic, demographic and geographical attributes. We find that policies that may be effective for reducing alcohol consumption among young drivers may lead to improvements in road safety. Our results also show that zero approach maximum alcohol concentration rates do not seem to be a panacea for this problem, since the countries with the strictest limits do not achieve better road safety outcomes. Finally, the influence of alcohol consumption on traffic fatalities seems to be particularly relevant for the male population.

This article examines the trends in road traffic fatality rates in a sample of European States over the 1970–2010 period. Taking into account that previous research seems to find that the Europeanization process has had a favorable impact on national road safety performance, our main contribution is to test whether the same mechanism might lead to the convergence of Member States as a whole as a possible outcome. Based on typical convergence methodology for Economic Growth Theory, our findings reveal evidence of the full convergence of road fatality rates across a sample of EU countries during said time period. Compared to the uncertain results obtained by the literature on macroeconomic convergence, we do not find support for the convergence of sub-groups of countries, but a one-speed-convergence for all EU countries. This fact shows that convergence is achievable in certain EU areas even beyond economic convergence through successful efforts made jointly at national and community levels.

Nowadays, speeding is one of the most relevant problems for traffic safety and most resistant to change in motorized countries. The key instruments in Speed Management Policy are speed limits. This road safety strategy is often established or changed, in order to save fuel during periods of rising prices. However, the relationship between speed limits and traffic accidents, is a topic widely discussed by researchers, and there seems to be some consensus about “speed kills.” By applying advanced time series models of unobserved components, our study investigates the impact of a temporary reduction of maximum speed limits, implemented in Spain in 2011, in terms of fuel consumption and fatalities. Our analysis shows that this measure caused a positive effect, although with a limited statistical significance, on fuel consumption and a discrete reduction in road mortality.

Traffic safety has become a major component of European transport policies. But the road to a real Common European Road Safety Policy has been a long one. The notion of Europeanization might help to describe the European Union (EU)'s impact on national policies, although the process differs from other transport sectors. The objective of this article is to explain the effect of the EU road safety policy on domestic road mortality rates in the EU-27. Using data on European countries for the 2000–2009 period we analyse how EU traffic safety policies, institutions and networks facilitate and encourage the learning process in the individual countries. This timeframe coincides with the 2001 White Paper and the third European Road Safety Action Programme (ERSAP), both of which are crucial for constructing the Common Road Safety Policy.

This article provides a meta-analysis of a selected sample of 87 estimates from studies based on panel data techniques published through until 2012. The purpose is to obtain a summary measure of the effects of tourism on economic growth by applying models for both fixed and random effects. The results show a positive elasticity between GDP and tourism, although the magnitude of the effect varies according to the methodological procedure employed in the original studies for empirical estimates. In this sense, when estimates exclude other explanatory variables of economic growth, elasticities are overvalued.

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.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the punishment strategies used by the Spanish administration were considerably hardened to achieve a reduction in road accidents. This hardening could also be seen in the mass-media public advertising campaigns, with a marked shift from gentle messages to threat-based advertisements. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this radical change in terms of main road accident indicators and the time that the effects last using multivariate unobserved component models set up in a state space framework applied to monthly series for the 1980–2008 period. The main conclusion is that the effect on reducing road accidents is no greater when citizens are subjected to a greater level of threats in advertising campaigns than would on average be achieved using campaigns with a low level of threats. Secondly, the impact of bloody advertising in Spain is limited to the most serious accidents, those that cause deaths, either on highways or in built-up areas. Moreover, the positive effects progressively decrease as the average lifespan for significant effects of medium and high level campaigns on deaths on highways or in built-up areas was 8 months and almost 12 days. The results show that a reduction in numbers of deaths and injuries is always achieved when the level of harshness in the messages is increased after a period of several years of mild advertising.

Spanish Port Authorities currently face a wide range of complexities in their decision-making processes, as they have to satisfy several port management objectives that may conflict with one another. This paper examines these circumstances by using decision theory methodology with multiple objectives, which, through the Promethee method, makes the design of an index possible. This index combines different decision factors that shape the competitiveness of a port to rank the Spanish Port Authorities. This ranking serves as an alternative to the traditional ranking system by easily providing more information about port traffic. The Promethee method was chosen because it is reliable, the outcomes are easy for decision makers to understand and the parameters can be economically interpreted. To account for any subjectivity in the measures for different criteria, we developed three survey campaigns aimed at the following groups: members of the port community, Port Authority managers and academic researchers.

The connection between road traffic safety and criminal behavior has recently become a topic of interest in the literature, although little emphasis placed on the relationship with road accidents. Evidence worldwide shows that people who commit other offences characteristic of antisocial attitudes, are more prone to suffer road traffic accidents and infringe traffic laws. Here we examine the records of the 28 current member states of the European Union over the period 1999-2010. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that crime rates (and specifically, motor vehicle-related crimes) may be considered as predictors of fatal road traffic accidents. If they may, this could justify, at least prima facie, the tendency in several countries to consider traffic offences as crimes in their penal codes and to toughen the punishment imposed on those who commit them. We also analyze the effect of the severity of the legal system applied to traffic offences. Our results reveal that road traffic fatality rates are higher in countries whose inhabitants have more aggressive behavior, while the rates are lower in countries with more severe penal systems.

This study uses data for the EU-27 countries in the period 1999-2009 to estimate determinants of road traffic fatality rates. Controlling for country attributes and road safety policy variables, we examine the influence of variables related with the national health systems; the number of hospital beds per kilometer and the percentage of health expenditures over gross domestic product. We find evidence that the density of hospital beds contributes substantially to the fall in traffic-related fatalities. Furthermore, the quality of general medical facilities and technology associated with increases in health expenditure may be also a relevant factor in reducing road traffic fatalities.

The goal of this article is to evaluate the impact of the drastic Spanish Penal Code reform on the number of road deaths in Spain and the time that the effects might last. This is achieved by means of multivariate unobserved component models set up in a state space framework estimated using maximum likelihood. In short, with this reform Spain might be considered to be closing the final gap that kept it apart from other developed countries as far as the road accident rate is concerned. We have found two different types of effects on Spanish road traffic fatalities. Initially, a month before the reform was passed there was a 24.7 percent fall in Spanish road deaths. After the Bill had been passed and for the following thirteen months, thereductionstayed at a constant sixteen percent. This reform has reduced Spanish road fatalities by 534 in all between November 2007 and December 2008 and the effects will foreseeably continue during 2009.