Automated traffic cameras have been used for more than 20 years as a way to catch those who choose to disobey traffic signals or posted speed limits. It’s nothing new, but ever since they have been put into use, it has raised privacy concerns for those who are leery of big brother watching in on them. Be that as it may, the IIHS is reporting that red light cameras do, indeed, save lives. In fact, the IIHS claims that “red light camera programs in 79 large U.S. cities saved nearly 1,300 lives through 2014.” Now that is a pretty big deal.
Adrian Lund, the President of IIHS, said, “We know we have a problem: people dying at signalized intersections because of people running red lights. We know red light cameras are part of the solution.”
IIHS reports that there were at least 709 deaths and some 126,000 injuries caused by people running red lights in 2014. Furthermore, those who disobey the traffic signals are the minority of those killed in such crashes – meaning those who have the right away are often the ones injured or killed in such accidents. In 2011, an IIHS study showed that large cities with red light camera programs in use between 2004 and 2008 saw significant decreases in per capita rates of fatal crashes at intersections with traffic signals.
The biggest problem is that some cities have been pressured to disable red light cameras over privacy concerns. As such, the IIHS has reported that those cities experienced 30-percent more fatal red light running crashes per capita. Those cities that have turned on red light cameras have seen a 21-percent drop in fatal red light crashes per capita. To put it simply, it has been found that red light camera programs – especially those that are well advertised – have a significant impact on whether or not people choose to obey traffic signals.
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