The group addresses issues that have created a public perception that red light cameras are focused on generating revenue rather than safety.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has called for more red-light cameras to help reduce fatal accidents, addressing issues that have eroded public confidence in the technology.
Backlash against automated ticketing programs has led to a decline in communities employing red-light cameras. New camera programs continue to be added, but the total number of communities has dropped from 533 municipalities to 421 in six years as voters put an end to such programs.
An IIHS study correlates the drop in ticketing cameras to an increase in deadly red-light-running crashes, which have climbed from 696 in 2012 to 811 in 2016. The group admits that camera discontinuation is not the sole reason. A comparison between crash rates in cities that sustained camera programs or discontinue such technology from 2010-2014 showed a discrepancy of 30 percent in fatal red-light-running crash rates.
Opponents to red-light cameras have argued that many governments have become overreliant on automated ticketing revenue, incentivizing unsafe methods such as shorter yellow lights to maximize fines. Communities may also be hesitant to employ nightly deactivation of traffic lights in areas of low traffic.
The IIHS calls on officials to carefully assess intersections where red-light running is a problem and only install cameras where they will have the highest impact on safety. The guidelines also call for targeting only the violations with the “greatest safety consequences,” hinting that a full-speed blast through a red light should be handled differently than a car that crawls across the line going a few mph while making a right-on-red turn.
“When properly implemented, red light cameras can help save lives and can serve to supplement law enforcement efforts, rather than generate revenue for governments,” says AAA’s managing director of government relations, Jill Ingrassia. “This new set of guidelines is an excellent starting point in ensuring adequate safeguards are put in place to maintain the public’s trust.”
To demonstrate the danger in red-light crashes, the IIHS replicated an accident involving a 2010 F-150 that blew through a light and smashed into a 2007 Chrysler Sebring. In the real-world crash, which occurred in Yuma, Arizona, in 2012, the Sebring driver was severely injured.
The group addresses issues that have created a public perception that red light cameras are focused on generating revenue rather than safety.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has called for more red-light cameras to help reduce fatal accidents, addressing issues that have eroded public confidence in the technology.
Backlash against automated ticketing programs has led to a decline in communities employing red-light cameras. New camera programs continue to be added, but the total number of communities has dropped from 533 municipalities to 421 in six years as voters put an end to such programs.
An IIHS study correlates the drop in ticketing cameras to an increase in deadly red-light-running crashes, which have climbed from 696 in 2012 to 811 in 2016. The group admits that camera discontinuation is not the sole reason. A comparison between crash rates in cities that sustained camera programs or discontinue such technology from 2010-2014 showed a discrepancy of 30 percent in fatal red-light-running crash rates.
Opponents to red-light cameras have argued that many governments have become overreliant on automated ticketing revenue, incentivizing unsafe methods such as shorter yellow lights to maximize fines. Communities may also be hesitant to employ nightly deactivation of traffic lights in areas of low traffic.
The IIHS calls on officials to carefully assess intersections where red-light running is a problem and only install cameras where they will have the highest impact on safety. The guidelines also call for targeting only the violations with the "greatest safety consequences," hinting that a full-speed blast through a red light should be handled differently than a car that crawls across the line going a few mph while making a right-on-red turn.
"When properly implemented, red light cameras can help save lives and can serve to supplement law enforcement efforts, rather than generate revenue for governments," says AAA's managing director of government relations, Jill Ingrassia. "This new set of guidelines is an excellent starting point in ensuring adequate safeguards are put in place to maintain the public's trust."
To demonstrate the danger in red-light crashes, the IIHS replicated an accident involving a 2010 F-150 that blew through a light and smashed into a 2007 Chrysler Sebring. In the real-world crash, which occurred in Yuma, Arizona, in 2012, the Sebring driver was severely injured.
