Stop Light Cameras
April 6th, 2007 |Roosh Five writes:
Mrs. Roosh has had at least a couple close calls, with the kids in the car, where someone has gone through an intersection near our home at high speed and had she not been looking for it, would have been in a major accident.
As such, despite whatever freedom and privacy issues photo cop systems create, I think they are probably a good idea.
Unfortunately, there is some evidence that stop light cameras, aside from the freedom and privacy issue, actually increase some kinds of intersections accidents. From the NYT:
The studies have shown that the reduction in side-angle collisions at the intersections has been wholly or largely offset by an increase in rear-end accidents…
In 2002 a consultant’s study in San Diego reported that the number of crashes at camera intersections had increased by 3 percent after the cameras were installed, almost all of it a result of a 37 percent increase in rear-endings. “This finding is not consistent with the program’s overall objective of improving traffic safety,” the report’s authors concluded.
The problem is that once drivers realize that they are subject to the effects of stop light cameras they will actually slam on the brakes during a yellow light to keep from being exposed to the possibility of a red light ticket. This braking behavior is what causes the increase in rear end accidents.
The solution? The National Motorists Association recommends avoiding the cameras and instead lengthening the amount of time that the yellow light stays illuminated in dangerous intersections. Their studies have shown that this practice reduces the number of accidents due to running red lights and have found that motorists do not become accustomed to the longer yellow light timing. It gives the intersection extra time to clear thus making the intersection safer.
This solution does not, however, help to increase the revenues of cities by increasing violation tickets as the cameras do. Some cities have actually shortened the yellow light phase in order to bust more potential red light runners. It seems to me that the temptation by city officials to increase revenue through the use of cameras may be too easy to pass up and we may all pay the price with less safe traffic intersections.
