Red Light Runners Watch Out

According to an article in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, as of this past Tuesday night the city of Millington has become the latest Tennessee city to approve using Red Light Cameras (RLC) to help reduce intersection accidents.

Intersection and intersection-related crashes consistently make up a high proportion of total fatal crashes, up to 23 percent. More than 50 percent of the combined fatal and injury crashes occur at 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 which account for approximately 40-45 percent of all crashes. According to 2005 data from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, crashes caused by red light running (RLR) resulted in an estimated 805 fatalities.

Based on national data, the typical red light runner (RLR) is younger, is driving alone, has no children, and is in a rush to work or school in the morning hours on weekdays.  If a parent, the RLR most likely has children less than 20-years-old, is employed in jobs requiring less education (i.e., blue collar, lower technology), or is unemployed. The RLR is more than two miles from home and is more likely to have been ticketed for red light running in the past. RLR is a dangerous form of aggressive driving. Based on self-reported behavioral surveys, RLR is a result of people wanting to save time. However, several factors can lead to RLR such as impatient and inattentive drivers, improperly timed traffic signals, lack of enforcement efforts and the attitude that no harm will come from running a red light.

Additional Program Efforts

In addition to the RLCs the city should also hold press conferences to announce the RLC program and educate drivers on the statistics of injuries and deaths due to RLR and speeding. Accompanying the public announcement they should encourage radio and TV stations to warn people of the danger of RLR and educate them on the new RLC system. Radio stations can do live broadcasts from high-crash intersections in town. Stations can give away promotional items in support of the goal of reducing injuries and deaths at intersections. Strict and effective enforcement by local police at all intersections would also help solve this problem.

Pedestrian safety is also an important issue related to intersection crashes. Approximately one out of five accidents at signalized intersections involve a turning vehicle hitting a pedestrian. The split between left-turning and right-turning accidents is about 60/40.  Furthermore, the proportion of accidents involving pedestrians and left-turning vehicles varies from 17 to 32 percent of all pedestrian accidents at the intersection. Thus, left-turning movements at signalized intersections represent a considerable safety problem to pedestrians.

In Millington there was one dissenting Alderman who says he is not convinced that the data shows that the cameras are effective. Economic analysis showed that RLCs saved society $39,000 to $50,000 annually at each intersection where they are installed. (The costs considered include: hospital bills, property damage to vehicles, insurance expenses, value of lost quality of life, and other costs.) Analysis of data in the most comprehensive study to date (Safety Evaluation of Red-Light Cameras (FHWA-HRT-05-048, April 2005)) from seven jurisdictions (Baltimore; Charlotte; El Cajon, CA; Howard County, MD; Montgomery County, MD; San Diego; San Francisco) at 132 intersections using RLCs found:

* 25% decrease of total right-angle crashes

* 16% decrease of injury right-angle crashes

* 15% increase of total rear-end crashes

* 24% increase of injury rear-end crashes

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville intersection collision contact our experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. We offer a free consultation to victims of Tennessee automobile accidents as well as the families of the victims.

It’s not unexpected that the speeders and red light runners in Oak Ridge Tennessee are hot and bothered about the new traffic cameras and this past Thursday they got their opportunity to go to court and fight their digitally generated tickets. When faced with the video replay of their speeding and red light running ways, they quickly paid up and left the courthouse lighter in the wallet but hopefully fuller in the knowledge that the days of speeding and running red lights in Oak Ridge have come to an end.

Saves Lives and Reduces Injuries

There’s a new Sheriff in town and the new sheriff’s name is Red Flex Inc. a private contractor with the city that has installed, at their own expense, state of the art digital camera systems at several key intersections. As noted in an segment on Knoxville TV station WATE channel 6, ” The cameras have been pumping out thousands of citations since the first ones went online over the summer.”

Most of the Oak Ridger’s complaints center around the amount of the money generated by the cameras.  Red Flex has created a crackerjack system of identifying speeders and red light runners, distributing tickets and collecting the fines which it splits with the city. The main purpose of the system is to reduce deaths and serious injuries. Statistic from other cities around the world show that deaths and serious injuries are greatly reduced by the use of this technology.

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 is those who speed through intersections and those who run red lights. This is significant to say the least. And the proof will take months to a year before the accident reduction statistics are in but my hat is off to the Oak Ridge representatives for showing far thinking leadership in trying to protect their citizen’s lives and property.

If you or a loved one is injured by a speeder or red light runner contact the experienced Nashville injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates to find out about your right sand remedies.