When the traffic signal turns red, drivers stop. At least that is what state law says they are supposed to do. But do they?
There is a rapidly growing body of evidence that many drivers don't stop. Aggressive driving, impatience and even congestion all contribute to the growing problem of drivers deliberately running red traffic signals.
Researchers have found that 22 percent of urban crashes resulted from drivers running traffic controls. This was the largest single type of crash. Drivers running through red lights constitute a major portion of intersection crashes.
Violations of traffic laws result in the senseless death of thousands of individuals and the injury of many more every year. If drivers had obeyed the existing traffic laws, many of the injuries and deaths would not have occurred. For almost half a century, jurisdictions around the world have successfully used photo-enforcement to reduce the violent deaths and injuries caused by these violations. Enforcement of red-light laws through the use of photo-technology is a cost-effective and practical method to reduce traffic accidents.
Realizing the importance of safer streets, many cities in the U.S. already have implemented photo enforcement programs consisting of red-light and photo-radar camera systems. The number one traffic complaint of most of our local residents, and I suspect in a majority of municipalities, is speeding. Red-light runners pose an additional safety hazard. Drivers who speed and run red lights threaten everyone's safety and compromise the quality of community and neighborhood life. Realizing the importance of safer streets, many cities in the U.S. already have implemented photo enforcement programs consisting of red-light and photo-radar camera systems.
Recent comments by some of our elected state officials that "photo enforcement is intended as a revenue generator and the best traffic enforcement is a cop in the rearview mirror" are ludicrous.
These same officials also stated that police officers should provide the necessary enforcement for red-light violators.
There is not a single municipality in this country that I am aware of that has the manpower, much less the financial resources, to place an officer at every signalized intersection in their community. Red-light cameras provide the "certainty of enforcement, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," Richard Retting, senior transportation engineer for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, explained.
"This has changed the way drivers behave with regard to red-light running, and now we can document how this behavior change is reducing crashes and injuries. With the well-publicized use of camera enforcement, communities can make signalized intersections much safer," Retting said.
In a report released on April 26, the Institute found that red-light cameras yield reductions in crashes, especially injury crashes. Front-into-side collisions the crash type that's most closely associated with red-light running were reduced 32 percent overall, and front-into-side crashes involving injuries were reduced 68 percent. The results from this study represent solid evidence that red-light camera enforcement will reduce crashes at U.S. intersections.
One of the most encouraging things to me about the recently released statistics on photo enforcement is that crashes at signalized intersections where drivers were not sure whether the cameras were in use also declined. That is, the violations dropped in about the same proportions at intersections with and without cameras, attesting to the strong deterrent value of red-light cameras and their ability to change driver behavior. The cameras, which are being used to enforce traffic laws in more than 40 U.S. communities, photograph vehicles whose drivers deliberately run red lights. Violators then are ticketed by mail.
Opinions about camera use are favorable in communities with and without enforcement programs, according to a recent Institute survey in 10 cities. For example, in cities such as Fairfax, Va., Mesa, Ariz., and Charlotte, N.C., where cameras are in use, 80 percent of the residents in these cities favor red-light photo enforcement. Cities without cameras, such as Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Fresno, Calif., and Arlington, also showed an approval rating of 80 percent for the use of photo enforcement.
Running red lights can have deadly serious consequences. Red-light photo enforcement is an important tool in helping prevent the serious injuries, death and property damage that are caused by those drivers who choose not to obey the law.
Anna Jenkin is a Registered Nurse, Texas peace officer, and chairman of the Lubbock Citizen's Traffic Commission. She can be reached at 741-1890.