Cameras Reduce Intersection Deaths and Injuries

Starting tomorrow Memphis is joining the 21^st Century when it comes to reducing intersection deaths and injuries and the citizens are going to be howling mad. Memphis, like many cities around the country has decided to experiment with digital camera systems that are intended to identify drivers who run red lights and speed through intersections. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2005 alone, nearly 9,200 people died and approximately one million people were injured in intersection-related crashes-approximately 40-45 percent of all crashes. The two main factors of these accidents are those who speed through intersections and those who run red lights. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association red light running crashes are responsible for approximately 260,000 injuries and 750 fatalities annually.

According to an article in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that at one intersection in Memphis there were 386 intersection collisions during a three-year period. The article goes on to estimate that the cameras will generate 240,000 tickets amounting to $9.7 million in revenue with approximately $3.1 million going to the city. My blogs have been following the installation of these devices in Oak Ridge Tennessee and it appears that the majority of complaints are from people who don’t like to get tickets when they run red lights or speed through intersections.

An article on the WHBQ TV website quotes Germantown City Administrator Patrick Lawton as reporting that after having the cameras for over ten years, “What we’ve seen is a reduction of the head-on collisions, and the T-bone type collisions and those are more of the serious accidents in nature.” Research from around the world matches the Germantown results. Lives are saved and millions of dollars in property damages are prevented.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our Nashville car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer.