Red Light Accident Deaths Increased as Use of Intersection Cameras Decreased

Following a decline in the use of traffic cameras at intersections, safety officials indicate that there was an increase in the number of deaths from red light accidents, suggesting that properly placed red light cameras play an important role in saving lives.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) issued a press release on July 24, indicating more than 800 people were killed in crashes involving red light running in 2016, which represents an increase of 17 percent since 2012.

The numbers have risen over the last several years, as fewer communities use traffic cameras at busy intersections, which are designed to deter motorists from running red lights and preventing crashes.

In response to the findings, the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, AAA,  IIHS, and the National Safety Council published a red light camera checklist (PDF), which provides practical instructions for planning and implementing red light camera systems they say have been proven to reduce traffic fatalities.

“We developed the guidelines to help communities avoid the problems that have undermined programs in the past,” IIHS President David Harkey said in the press release. “We know turning off cameras results in more crashes, injuries and deaths, so it’s important that camera programs succeed.”

Intersections are one of the most dangerous areas on roadways, where high speeds and traffic traveling in different directions meet. Cities have searched for effective methods to reduce motor vehicle crashes, deaths and injuries at intersections, and recent research has shown red light cameras reduced fatalities.

Researchers reviewed traffic fatalities resulting from red light running from 2000 through 2016 and found a decrease in fatality reports as more communities implemented red light cameras. However, a decrease in the amount of communities using red light cameras has resulted in an increase in traffic deaths linked to running red lights.

As of July 2018, only 421 communities across the nation are on record using red light camera programs, which is down from the 533 recorded in 2012. Researchers have seen a 17 percent increase in the amount of traffic fatalities at intersections when comparing numbers from 2012 to 2016.

Researchers also compared red light camera crash rates in cities that stopped their programs to those that continued running theirs, and found deadly red light crashes were 30 percent higher in cities that turned off cameras than in those that left the cameras on.

The checklist includes recommendations from planning, oversight, and sustained public engagement which is important to understand the public’s acknowledgement and approval of these types of deterring system. The researchers determined it is important to run a red light intersection camera in a transparent manner that is clearly directed toward reducing fatalities, rather than just collecting revenue.

The checklist recommends communities establish an advisory board to identify where problematic intersections are located, and to increase traffic crossing signs, make cross walks more easily noticeable, implement red light cameras and task the advisory board on tracking whether progress is being made to reduce fatalities.