http://cis.ccsenet.org Computer and Information Science Vol. 12, No. 3; 2019 A Predictive Framework of Speed Camera Locations for Road Safety Asmae Rhanizar 1 & Zineb El Akkaoui 1 1 SEEDS team, STRS Lab, INPT, Rabat, Morocco Correspondence: Asmae Rhanizar, SEEDS Team, STRS Lab, INPT, Rabat, Morocco. Received: April 13, 2019 Accepted: May 13, 2019 Online Published: July 30, 2019 doi:10.5539/jmr.v12n3p92 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/jmr.v12n3p92 Abstract Road traffic crashes are a public health issue due to their terrible impact on individuals, communities, and countries. Studies affirmed that vehicle speed is a major contributor to crash likelihood and severity. At the same time, they identified Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) systems, namely speed cameras, as a highly effective measure to reduce excessive and inappropriate speed, and thus improving road safety. However, identifying optimum sites for fixed speed camera placement stays an open issue in the literature, although it is a key factor that guarantees the efficiency of such ASE systems. This paper describes a predictive framework of speed camera locations using a classification algorithm that can predict, for each section of a given road network, its pertinence as a speed camera location. First, we identify a set of features as predictors of the classification algorithm, that we have argued their goodness through correlation tests. Second, for training our algorithm, data from road controlled sections, corresponding to existing speed cameras, is exploited. Each section class reflects the contribution level of the ASE system (good, neutral, or bad) to road safety. Third, as a proof- of-concept, the framework has been implemented and deployed on the Moroccan road network. The results showed that Random Forest classifier is the best performing model attaining an accuracy of 95% and a precision of 88%. Further, a tool was developed to visualize updated classification results on a Moroccan road network map to support authorities in their decision making process. Keywords: automated speed enforcement (ASE) system, classification algorithm, road safety, speed camera 1. Introduction According to the World Health Organization (2018), 1.35 million road traffic deaths occur every year producing a terrible impact on individuals, communities, and countries. Moreover, road traffic injury is the 8 th leading cause of death for all age groups especially among children and young adults aged 5 to 29 years. To address this concern, various initiatives have emerged over the years aiming at assisting countries to increase their road safety initiatives and raise public awareness about road traffic crashes menace. An important recent initiative has been the adoption of specific targets related to road safety as part of the United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda for sustainable development. One of the new targets is to halve the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020. To promote its implementation, the UN adopted a global registry of voluntary commitments and multi-stakeholder partnerships facilitating global engagement of all stakeholders. Many international organizations such as the World Bank Group, Federation International Automobile Foundation and the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) are partners of UN to promote road safety. In particular, the iRAP is an umbrella organization for a set of essential sub- projects, such as EuroRAP, usRAP and AusRAP. These are not-for-profit organizations dedicated to saving lives through safer roads. iRAP produces a wide range of resources and technical specifications to support road safety practitioners. In Morocco, although the total number of registered vehicles is low compared to developed countries, the rate of road traffic deaths is still high. Indeed, 80680 crashes were recorded on Moroccan roads with 3785 deaths and 9791 people seriously injured in 2016 (Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water [METLE], 2016). More than two-thirds of crashes occur in built up areas, but the most severe crashes occur on rural roads where two-thirds of the fatalities are recorded (International Transport Forum [ITF], 2017). Thus, improving road safety is a top priority for the Moroccan government. In this respect, Morocco is a partner of the iRAP program to develop measures to reduce the road death toll and serious injuries in Morocco. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water and the iRAP in the context of the first African road safety forum 2018, held in Morocco. Its main objective is to establish a locally-led iRAP Moroccan program. On the other hand, according to the World Health Organization, an increase in average speed is a direct cause of both the likelihood and the severity of crashes. For example, every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk. Management of speeds of drivers of motorized vehicles has a high safety potential. Consequently, many countries have introduced an integrated approach of speed management to limit the 92