Traffic Light Cameras Increase Vehicle Crashes

Cameras mounted at traffic-light intersections aimed at improving highway safety actually significantly increase traffic crashes at those intersections and are most effective only in increasing auto insurance premiums, according to researchers at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. The traffic-light cameras are simply a "hidden tax levied on motorists."

"The rigorous studies clearly show red-light cameras don't work," said lead author Barbara Langland-Orban, professor and chair of health policy and management at the USF College of Public Health. "Instead, they increase crashes and injuries as drivers attempt to abruptly stop at camera intersections. If used in Florida, cameras could potentially create even worse outcomes due to the state's high percent of elderly who are more likely to be injured or killed when a crash occurs."

Red-Light Running Declines

According to a news release, the USF research found:

• Traffic fatalities caused by red-light running are not increasing in Florida and account for less than four percent of the state's yearly traffic deaths. In contrast, more than 22 percent of the state's traffic fatalities occur at intersections for reasons other than red-light running.

• The injury rate from red-light running crashes has dropped by a third in less than a decade, indicating red-light running crashes have been continually declining in Florida without the use of cameras.

• Comprehensive studies from North Carolina, Virginia, and Ontario have all reported cameras are significantly associated with increases in crashes, as well as crashes involving injuries. The study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council also found that cameras were linked to increased crash costs.

• Some studies that conclude cameras reduced crashes or injuries contained major "research design flaws," such as incomplete data or inadequate analyses, and were conducted by researchers with links to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Insurance Companies Profit

"The IIHS, funded by automobile insurance companies, is the leading advocate for red-light cameras. Insurers can profit from red-light cameras, since their revenues will increase when higher premiums are charged due to the crash and citation increase," Langland-Orban said.

Red-light running can be reduced by engineering improvements that address factors such as signal visibility and timings, wet roads and traffic flow, the USF researchers wrote.

See Also:
Red-Light Cameras Increase Crashes and Costs, USF Report Finds

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