Red-light cameras are widely hated, but a new study says getting rid of them can have fatal consequences.
Advertisement
The study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that removing red-light cameras led to a third more people dying in traffic deaths. While programs are still being launched in some places, the total number of communities with red light cameras fell to 467 in 2015 from a peak of 533 in 2012. Columbus is among them. The rate of fatal crashes at signalized intersections was 16 percent higher.
The institute funded by Auto Insurers says cameras save lives. “This latest IIHS research reinforces prior studies finding a correlation between red light cameras and safety gains, including a recent evaluation of red light camera programs in DE that showed a reduction in unsafe T-bone crashes at intersections equipped with cameras”. The rate of all types of crashes at intersections with traffic signals was 14 percent lower when cameras were present.
To maximize safety benefits, GHSA has recommended that red light cameras follow the guidelines established by the Federal Highway Administration and be used at high-crash sites or where law enforcement personnel can not be deployed safety, implementation includes a public information campaign, and revenue derived from the program flow back into highway safety efforts. “It’s important to remember that there are hundreds of people walking around who wouldn’t be here if not for red light cameras”. Cameras increase the odds that violators will get caught, and well-publicized camera programs discourage would-be violators from taking those odds. He also says he would like to increase the length of time that all lights at an intersection stay red.
Otherwise, Nelson said, “you have to question what are we really doing here?” Red light runners account for a minority of the people killed in such crashes. Those crashes are among the most likely to result in death or serious injury.
Advertisement
The sudden flash of a red light camera in the rear-view mirror can certainly put a damper on a driver’s day.
