One of the most commonly held beliefs about municipalities using red light cameras for citing motorists is that the main reason for doing so is income generation for local governments. That belief can be strongly defended or denied, depending on which side of the fence you’re on, but the main reason for these cameras is actually supposed to be accident reduction. The question to be asked is, do they actually accomplish that goal?`
Analyzing Accident Rates
Safer Streets LA analyzed the impact red light cameras had on accident rates over a ten year period at the ten intersections in Los Alamitos and Garden Grove, California which use those cameras for photo enforced traffic citations. Accident records from 2001 to 2014 were examined to provide a long term, comprehensive analysis to show whether or not this technology made those intersections safer for motorists.Rear end collisions and accidents caused by the running of a red light were both considered in the analysis. Many of the intersections where these cameras are installed already had low rates of accidents, so determining the statistical significance of changes was crucial. In these cases, small changes in numbers can mean large changes in percentage, which can skew results, so great care was taken in reviewing the information and preparing the report containing the final results.
The Results
Comparing the results which were determined for each of the ten intersections, there was only one – the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Trask Avenue in Garden Grove – experienced a significant decrease in accidents related to the red light. At the intersection of Trask Avenue and Magnolia Street, there was no significant change in the number of accidents, but the incidence of injuries increased. None of the other intersections in either city experienced any significant change in collision rates, either positive or negative.
Options
The report did present an option for increasing safety and reducing the number of red light violations in Los Alamitos. According to the Redlight Offender Statistics Report provided by the vendor of the red light cameras in Los Alamitos, 84% of the violations cited by the cameras occur within the first second of the light turning red; a period of time so short, no human could determine its accuracy. By simply extending the length of the yellow light by only one second, Los Alamitos could reduce their rate of red light violations by more than 80%. This has been proven to be effective in several California cities including Garden Grove, which saw a 61% to 90% reduction in violations for running red lights by increasing their yellow light signals by only 0.5 seconds.
Does Anyone Really Care?
The Executive Director of Safer Streets LA, Jay Beeber, presented the organization’s findings to the City Councils in both Los Alamitos and Garden Grove in late August 2015. Even though the in depth analysis clearly showed the cameras do not reduce the number of accidents in their cities, and the fact that most cities in California have discontinued their red light camera programs, as of December 28, 2015 it appears that in both Los Alamitos and Garden Grove red light cameras are still in operation.