Pilot Project — Driver Feedback Signs

​​​Among the numerous actions taken to improve road safety, the Ministère launched a pilot project that consists of installing driver feedback signs (also called radar speed signs) for educational purposes. These signs are information tools: they display the road user’s speed in colour, with a short text to encourage the user to slow down when the posted speed limit is exceeded. The speed is shown instantly, and the display is individualized and dynamic. This device reminds the user of the speed limit on that specific road, hence its educational value.

This pilot project is used to assess the equipment and determine to what extent these driver feedback signs can encourage drivers to lower their speed. The project was implemented to become more familiar with the equipment and determine its effectiveness.​​​

It is important to note that driver feedback signs cannot be used to issue speed tickets, contrary to photo radar devices and red light cameras. Their purpose is not to punish road users, but inform them of their speed and whether it exceeds the posted speed limit. The colour and text displayed depend on the speed. The sign displays the speed in:​​​

  • Green when the speed limit is observed;
  • Yellow when the speed limit is slightly exceeded, and informs drivers that they need to slow down;
  • Red when the speed limit is moderately or largely exceeded.

The sites targeted by the pilot project to confirm the effectiveness of driver feedback signs are school zones with a high rate of accidents, or areas where municipalities asked the Ministère to lower the posted speed limit or extend the 50 ​km/h zone. The driver feedback sign was installed on May 20, ​2015, in école Providence’s school zone, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

Driver feedback signs aim to ensure the observance of speed limits in locations where traffic conditions are important or difficult, as reflected by the selected locations.