Do Red Light Cameras Save Lives?

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DO RED LIGHT CAMERAS SAVE LIVES?
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RED LIGHT CAMERAS

• Numerous studies have shown red light cameras
  instrumental in saving lives.
• Yet some battles wage on regarding the legality
  of their use. What do opponents find so
  objectionable?
• Arguments against these cameras mainly involve
  violations of privacy rights.
• However, the courts have shot-down such claims
  repeatedly.
• What has never been questioned is the illegality
  of running a red light.
• In every instance, a person who runs a red light
  breaks the law and will be held accountable.
• Or, even worse, a person could be seriously
  injured or even killed as a result of this
  reckless behavior.

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RED LIGHT CAMERAS

• COURT CASES INVOLVING RED LIGHT CAMERAS
•  
• The U.S. Supreme Court refers to driving as a
  regulated activity on public roads without
  expectation of personal privacy.
• This interpretation suggests red light cameras do
  not violate personal privacy.
• According to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of
  Appeals, red light cameras do not violate
  procedural due process.
• The court ruling stated "no one has a fundamental
  right to run a red light or avoid being seen by a
  camera on a public street."
• This court also ruled the city of Chicago's photo
  enforcement system was not in violation of the
  U.S. Constitution.
• U.S. motorists agree to abide by all traffic
  regulations when they get a drivers license.
• The operation of red light cameras is completely
  transparent.
• Theyre installed in plain view to all motorists
  and drivers have a right to see any data the
  camera collects.

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RED LIGHT CAMERAS

• STUDIES SUPPORTING RED LIGHT CAMERA USE
•  
• From 2004 to 2008, the Insurance Institute for
  Highway Safety (IIHS) analyzed red camera use in
  99 U.S. cities.
• The study concluded the cameras reduced fatal
  crashes by 24.
• In 14 of the largest cities in the study, the
  cameras saved 159 lives.
• According to the IIHS, 815 deaths would have been
  prevented if the cameras had been installed in
  all major U.S. cities during the same time
  period.
• Looking at one of the metro areas of the IIHS
  study, automated enforcement can clearly change
  driver behavior.
• In Phoenix, Arizona, red light cameras reduced
  fatal crashes by 45. In Chandler, Arizona, a
  suburb of Phoenix, the study noted a staggering
  79 reduction in fatal crashes.
• Unfortunately, statistics in 2009 continue to
  paint a grim picture.
• In that one year period, IIHS noted 676 people
  were killed and 113,000 were injured as a result
  of drivers running red lights.

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RED LIGHT CAMERAS

• STUDIES SUPPORTING RED LIGHT CAMERA USE
•  
• Of those killed, only one-third involved the
  offending drivers.
• Two-thirds of the people killed were pedestrians,
  bicyclists, passengers of the offenders or
  occupants of other cars.
• The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA),
  a nonprofit association representing the highway
  safety offices of states, territories, the
  District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, has long
  supported red light camera use in intersections.
  
• GHSA released a statement indicating the IIHS
  study leaves no doubt that red light cameras are
  an effective enforcement tool and a key to
  intersection safety.

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RED LIGHT CAMERAS

• WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR RED LIGHT CAMERAS
•  
• Just as other safety measures evolve over time,
  like seat belts, air bags, crosswalk signals and
  more, so will red light cameras.
• A wide variety of tools help law enforcement do
  their jobs better while improving community
  safety.
• As statistics continue to support the life-saving
  measures of red light cameras, resistance is
  expected to wane and more U.S. cities will adopt
  the technology.
• The vast majority of the public will refuse to be
  denied a tool that will keep the community safe.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ryan is Communications Director at Redflex
Traffic Systems, Inc., a leader in road safety
technology that operates more than 2,000 photo
enforcement systems in over 250 cities throughout
the United States and Canada. For more
information about Red Light Cameras, visit
http//www.redflex.com today.