When people at holiday parties find out that I am a Nashville automobile accident attorney I’m usually bombarded with questions. This year’s topic seemed to be Red Light Cameras (RLCs). Although many people understand the purpose of the cameras is to save lives and prevent property damages, there are still those who think that it’s simply big brother government reaching into the taxpayers pockets. To these people I say, “You’re Wrong, Red Light Cameras save lives.”

Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk.  A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study in Oxnard, California, showed that red light running violations dropped a total of 42 percent after well publicized photo enforcement was introduced.  Another study in Fairfax, Virginia, showed that violations declined about 40 percent after one year of photo enforcement.  A key to all effective traffic law enforcement is publicity; without it there is no deterrent effect, and the purpose of red light cameras is deterrence.

Photo enforcement has such a strong deterrent effect precisely because it is not like so-called “speed traps.” The old image of a speed trap was that of “secret” enforcement at a location where almost every driver speeds. Officers could pick and choose whomever they wished to cite, even drivers who barely exceeded the limit.

The objective of photo enforcement is to deter violations, not to surreptitiously catch violators. The more public the enforcement is, the better.  Photo-enforcement cameras are in plain view, not hidden. There typically are signs and publicity campaigns warning drivers that photo enforcement is in use.  And unlike speed traps, photo enforcement is fair. The cameras are programmed not to photograph vehicles turning right on red or caught in the intersection when the light changes. Only violators who meet objective criteria specifically designed to omit minor, unintended infractions are photographed. There is no potential for impermissible profiling or discriminatory enforcement where photo enforcement is in use.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee intersection accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Intersection Crashes

Knoxville TV station WBIR reports that in the first 45 days in operation the Red Light Cameras at three high accident intersections (RLCs) at recorded over 4000 violations. After review, officials rejected 400 and another 500 were dismissed because of technical reasons. This leaves 3019 red light running drivers facing $50.00 fines.

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 the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, crashes caused by red light running (RLR) resulted in an estimated 805 fatalities.

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.

Many citizens complain the RLCs are simply a new way of raising money for the city. The facts show that this claim is baseless and comes mostly from those who do not want to take responsibility for their dangerous actions and the politicians who pander to them. 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.)

In a statewide study conducted in Arizona the following statistics show the benefits of RLCs to the overall community:

• 17.6% (2,940) fewer property damage collisions

• 18.5% (1,189) fewer injury collisions

• 19.2% (43) fewer fatal collisions (24 fewer lives lost)

Statewide DPS Officer Statistics

• Spent 9,224 less hours investigating 4,891 fewer collisions

• Conducted 52,791 more traffic stops

• Made 610 more total arrests

• Arrested 52 more impaired drivers

• Arrested 324 more drug offenders

If you or a loved one is junjured or killed in a Nashville intersection collision contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

Obey The Red Light

An intersection is a planned point of conflict in the roadway system. With different crossing and entering movements by both drivers and pedestrians, an intersection is one of the most complex traffic situations that motorists encounter. Dangers are compounded when we add the element of speeding motorists who disregard traffic controls.

Question: How serious is the red light running problem?

Answer:  Red light running (RLR) is a serious traffic safety problem. According to the Safety Evaluation of Red-Light Cameras (FHWA-HRT-05-048, April 2005), RLR is estimated to produce more than 100,000 crashes and approximately 1,000 deaths per year in the United States.

Question:  Why do people run red lights?

Answer: 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.

Question: What is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) position on the use of photo enforcement cameras?

Answer: FHWA and NHTSA support a comprehensive approach to intersection safety that incorporates engineering, education, and enforcement countermeasures to prevent RLR and improve intersection safety. Red light camera (RLC) systems can be a very effective countermeasure to prevent red light running (Red Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines, FHWA-SA-05-002, January 2005).

Question: Do studies show that there are safety benefits from installation of these cameras systems? Do rear-end collisions increase when RLCs are installed – in which case, aren’t we just trading one type of crash for another?

Answer: 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

The increase in rear-end collisions is problematical, but is the direct result of drivers following too close and being willing to take a chance at running the red light. Reserachers believe that once the driving population of a city using the RLC system gets used to the reality that the car in front of them is going to be less likely to ignore the traffic signal that they will be more cautious and respond more quickly to the signal.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile collision at an intersection by a red light runner contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.