New Insurance Institute study finds red light cameras effective
A new study has found that red light cameras help reduce the frequency of red light running and intersection car crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing a study on Tuesday February 1, 2011 reporting that camera have reduced fatal crashes by 24 percent in 14 large cities where red light cameras were introduced between 1996-2004. The IIHS President Adrian Lund says the study is proof that red light cameras work, and credits them with saving hundreds of lives. On the other hand the National Motorists Association Executive Director Gary Biller questions the validity of the IIHS‘s finding that red light cameras have saved lives. He says there are cheaper alternative to red light cameras, including longer yellow lights. He also says that there are studies showing that red light cameras actually increase car accidents.
Click here to go to the IIHS study on red light cameras and car accidents.
City of Houston voters narrowly passed a proposition in the 2010 mid-term elections that disbanded Houston’s red light camera program. The unfortunate (but predictable) effect of the proposition passing is that our already cash-strapped city has been deprived of millions of dollars a year in revenue. While nobody wants to get an expensive ticket for running a red light that may cause their car insurance premiums to increase, there is a more simple solution to avoiding a ticket than disbanding the red light camera program: JUST DON’T RUN THROUGH RED LIGHTS!
IIHS shows red light cameras effective in reducing car crashes