There has been an ongoing debate about speed cameras and red light cameras for several years now. The debate centers on whether these cameras, which judge speed via radar or determine that a driver is running a red light and then sends a ticket in the mail, are worth the cost. At first, municipalities installed them with the hope of generating revenue through increased ticket fines but, after the word got out that the cameras were in place, drivers started obeying the law and ticket revenue dropped dramatically forcing many of those municipalities to reconsider the cost of their continued operation. Now, a new study out of Spain may give those municipalities more to think about when it comes to the cost benefit of these automated traffic regulating systems.

The study looked at speed cameras installed on all of the major routes leading into and out of Barcelona Spain. The study’s authors did a cost analysis of these cameras for 2003-2005; comparing the cost of their installation and maintenance with the cost of time spent by police when writing out tickets for speeders.

Those costs were then compared to the costs of medical treatment, property damage, and lost productivity in the Barcelona area during the same period. Based on the data it was estimated that there were 364 fewer traffic collisions and 507 fewer injuries to vehicle occupants during the first two years of speed camera operation.

Comparing the costs, the study authors determined that the speed cameras saved more than 6.8 million Euros or more than 9.6 million dollars. The bulk of the savings came in reduced property damage and medical treatment costs. The authors stated that their figures are extremely conservative and cost savings could equal almost 32 million dollars.

Cost savings occurring from fewer collisions include:

• Freeing up police and emergency medical personnel


• Fewer emergency room visits


• Decrease in loss of productivity due to traffic tie-ups and injuries to workers


• Decrease in lifetime disability costs from permanently disabling injuries


• Decrease in legal costs


• Decreased volume of court cases

When looking at the installation of these automated traffic control devices, more thought should be given to lives saved and decreased cost to government over the long term rather than short term revenue gains.

Labels: automated traffic regulating systems, red light, red light camera, run red light, traffic school, traffic ticket

In spite of all the rhetoric from politicians and political pundits calling for less government regulations, it seems that there is one area where Americans agree more laws and regulations are needed. According to the results of a recently released survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Americans seem to agree on the need for more laws and regulations to make America’s roads safer.

Released in conjunction with the “Decade of Action on Road Safety”, an initiative designed to reduce highway deaths and injuries worldwide by the year 2020, the survey shows some surprising results. According to the AAA Foundation press release:

Specific survey results include:

• 62 percent of Americans agree the U.S. needs more laws to prevent people from doing dangerous things while driving (17 percent disagree)
• 57 percent of Americans agree their respective state government needs to do more to make their roads safer (11 percent disagree)
• 86 percent of Americans agree all new drivers should be required to complete a driver education course before they can get a driver’s license (3% disagree)
• A majority of Americans agree that both auto manufacturers (60 percent) and the federal government (41 percent) need to do more to make cars safer (9 and 21 percent, respectively, disagree)
• 70 percent of Americans agree that driving safety laws should be enforced more strictly (6 percent disagree)
  

For global context, separate information provided by the "Make Roads Safe" global campaign shows:

• 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads each year
• 3. 5 million people globally are injured, many disabled as a result
• Annual road deaths globally are forecast to rise to 1.9 million by 2020
• Road deaths are the #1 cause of death for young people worldwide (including in the U.S.)
• By 2015, road deaths will be the leading health burden for children

This survey comes on the heels of a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released in February that shows that red light cameras save lives. The study compared cities (with and without red light cameras) with populations of more than 200,000 and determined that:

• 159 lives were saved in the 14 biggest cities with red light cameras
• An additional 815 lives could have been saved during the same period had red light cameras been installed.
• 676 people were killed and approximately 113,000 were injured by red light runners in 2009. Two-thirds of the victims were people other than the red light runners.

If you agree that more needs to be done to make the roads safer, contact your local and state representatives and let them know how you feel.

Labels: driver education, driving safety, red light, red light camera, red light runners, road safety, vehicle safety

The installation of red light cameras has stirred up quite a debate throughout the United States between those who feel red light cameras promote safety and those who feel they are an invasion of civil liberties. The debate received more fuel with a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) that showed that red light cameras save lives.

The IIHS study, released on February 1st, indicated that "red light cameras reduce not only fatal red light running crashes, but other types of fatal intersection crashes as well." The study went on to say that "red light cameras have saved 159 lives in 2004-08 in 14 of the biggest US cities and that, had cameras been operating during that period in all large cities, a total of 815 deaths would have been prevented." The study looked at 99 cities with populations over 200.000 and compared the rate of crashes between those cities that had red light cameras and those that didn't. The study concluded that “the rate of fatal red light running crashes in cities with cameras in 2004-08 was 24 percent lower than it would have been without cameras.”

The IIHS study backed up an earlier study by Old Dominion University that compared the rate of traffic crashes before red light cameras were installed at intersections in Virginia Beach, during their operation, and after the removal of the cameras. The study showed traffic crashes were reduced during the period that the cameras were installed.

Those groups opposed to red light cameras argue that the cameras are just a way for local governments to raise additional revenue and that the cameras are an invasion of privacy. IIHS president Adrian Lund was quoted saying; "Somehow, the people who get tickets because they have broken the law have been cast as the victims," Lund says. "We rarely hear about the real victims — the people who are killed or injured by these lawbreakers."

"Red light running killed 676 people and injured an estimated 113,000 in 2009. Nearly two-thirds of the deaths were people other than the red light running drivers — occupants of other vehicles, passengers in the red light runners' vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians."

A quick Google search of news articles in just the past month shows that red light runners have been responsible for the deaths of:

• An 11 year old girl who was a passenger in a vehicle struck by red light runner.


• A family of five who were all killed when their vehicle was struck by a red light runner.


• A nun whose vehicle was struck by a red light runner.


• A female passenger riding in the vehicle of a 16 year old driver who ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle.


• A passenger in a vehicle struck by a red light runner.


• Two drivers of vehicles who were struck by red light runners.


• A pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle that had been struck by a red light runner and pushed across the intersection.

These figures do not include the larger number of people who were injured in collisions caused by red light runners.

There is no way to know whether or not these twelve victims might still be alive today had red light cameras been installed but the data seems to point to the fact that red light cameras do save lives and it is possible that some of these innocent victims might have been saved if red light cameras been installed.

In the State of Florida, there is a law that took effect October 1, 2009, which makes a 4-hour traffic school or basic driver improvement course a requirement for all drivers that receive a traffic ticket for running a red light.

Labels: pedestrian safety, red light, red light camera, red light runners, vehicle crashs

“You see a red light, you stop.” It's one of the first things they teach in driver's ed. To raise awareness and for everyone's safety, August 1-7 is designated National Stop on Red week.

The National Stop on Red campaign was spearheaded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with the hopes of keeping collisions due to red-light running to a minimum.

The facts from American Traffic Solutions: (http://www.atsol.com/StopOnRedWeek.html)

• In 2007, red-light running led to 154,000 injuries and more than 900 deaths across the United States (source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - IIHS).


• 96 percent of drivers are afraid of being hit by a red-light runner, yet nearly 56 percent of Americans admit to running red lights (Old Dominion University, Virginia).


• Motorists are more likely to be injured in crashes involving red-light running than in other type of crashes (FHWA).


• Occupant injuries occur in 45 percent of red-light running crashes, compared with 30 percent of other crash types (IIHS).


• A nationwide study of fatal crashes at traffic signals estimates that 20 percent of the drivers involved failed to obey the signals (IIHS).


• 40 percent of all crashes are intersection related (FHWA).


• The number of fatal motor vehicle crashes at traffic signals is rising faster nationwide than any other type of fatal crash (FHWA).

The truth is, stopping on red is the simplest way to prevent collisions on the road. It ranks up there with drunk driving, distracted driving and not wearing safety belts as one of the leading causes for crashes, yet it is only up to the behavior of drivers to observe the rule to change that.

The National Stop on Red campaign is one of the tools available to local traffic enforcement to be able to educate motorists that needless vehicle crashes do not need to occur, as long as traffic rules are obeyed.

Along with the week's educational campaign, there will also be traffic enforcement officers on constant patrol to combat red-light running. To aid them are traffic cameras, to monitor any red-light runners. Though the word “camera” makes a motorist feel like he/she is under constant-watch, these cameras are really put into place for their own safety. Most especially with the Interstate Traffic cameras, since, as mentioned above, 40% of all crashes are intersection related. For those driver's that have received a traffic ticket for running a red light in Florida it is now mandatory to take traffic school.

This year's National Stop on Red Week theme is “Engineering Safer Intersections.” This means that, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) also plays a hand in keeping the roads safer. They are constantly collecting data and seeing a big picture of how an intersection works in order to come up with an engineering solution for stopping red-light runners.

Communities are playing their part in informing citizens of how to drive safer by education campaigns, increased enforcement and other activities. Pay attention to traffic lights, stop on red, and treat every week as if it is Stop on Red week.

Labels: red light

Automated Cameras Expected By Year's End

Get ready to smile for the camera, and pay a fine, if you're going to run a red light in Orlando.

Orlando is Florida's largest city to employ automated cameras to photograph and ticket drivers who don't obey red lights.

After being briefed on the concept recently, City Council members gave their unanimous support. Mayor Buddy Dyer, with the council's backing, said he would ready a plan for formal approval in the next few months, and hopes on having the cameras in effect by the end of the year.

With these developments, Orlando is sidestepping Florida lawmakers who have failed for years to embrace statewide red-light legislation.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan said. "That the Legislature will not act is unfathomable to me. The Legislature won't cooperate, so let's do it ourselves."

The details of the plan have yet to be worked out. The cameras cost $40,000 to $60,000 each or can be leased for approximately $5,000 a month, but city officials have not yet fully calculated the cost. They are holding off on decisions such as how many intersections would be covered by cameras and the amount of the fine.

The cameras appraise a vehicle's speed as it nears an intersection and takes a photo of the car and its license plate if it crosses the intersection after the light has turned red. The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority employs a similar system to photograph tollbooth violators.

A police officer will review the photographs, and then determine whether a ticket should be mailed.

According to city officials, the problem can no longer be ignored. Police Chief Michael McCoy said that in Florida, red-light violators cause at least 100 fatalities and more than 6,300 injuries a year. At least 458 crashes resulted from red light running last year in Orlando alone.

In 2005, the city tested the cameras' effectiveness in a pilot project at a major intersection. Over 7,500 violations were photographed in nine months, with warning letters being issued to 2,946 violators. To spot that many red-light violations, it would take 20 motorcycle cops a full year.

"Traffic enforcement is a very labor-intensive part of our Police Department," Dyer said. "Red-light cameras would certainly be a way to make it more efficient."

McCoy added that crashes at the test intersection shrunk by half, and violations dropped by 43 percent.

"We sent out thousands of warning letters and had absolutely no complaints from the public," he said. "I think the public is strongly behind this. It's overdue."

State laws do not address red-light cameras, but it is the state attorney general's opinion that the photos cannot be the basis of a traffic citation.

Municipal leaders have urged lawmakers to specifically permit the use of red-light cameras for a decade, to no avail. Lawmakers most often cite privacy issues in blocking the cameras' use.

According to city lawyers, Orlando could issue a ticket that's akin to a parking or code-enforcement infraction. This would result in a monetary fine, but no points on the violator's license, no jail time and no seizure of property.

The city of Gulf Breeze has been employing a similar process for a year, and just this month Apopka began issuing $125 fines.

There's a small chance that the city's action could be found unconstitutional, said City Attorney Mayanne Downs.

"We just need to send a message," Commissioner Phil Diamond said, "and hopefully people will start driving more carefully."

Did you know that courses are available to educate drivers on the rules of the road and the latest defensive driving techniques? Try one now!

Labels: defensive driving course, red light, red light camera, traffic fines, traffic ticket