Studies support theory that police presence reduces accidents
Studies support that theory [that a police presence reduces accidents], according to Thomas Nolan, a former Boston Police lieutenant and professor of criminal justice at Boston University. “It creates a sense in the community that if you commit an infraction you are going to get pulled over,” Nolan said. And while police activity cannot be definitively said to cause lower accident rates, the two are “positively correlated,” he said. In Boston, where police officers rarely make traffic stops, drivers’ behavior is widely considered among the worst in the country. The only thing that keeps serious traffic accidents down there is congestion, Nolan said.