Cameras Make the Roads More Dangerous

One of the biggest arguments for speed cameras is some kind of urgent, pressing need to make our roads safer and reduce accidents. The problem is, this danger is never expressed in terms of reliable statistics that show that accident rates are "too high." The fact is, accident rates have been dropping nationwide for decades. Certainly, it would be fabulous if we could have accident-free roads. The reality is that without banning cars altogether, this Utopian scenario is not obtainable and never will be. As a society, we have to decide what an acceptable accident rate is and decide to strive for that standard. Otherwise, if we decide that no one should ever die in an auto accident, then motorized transportation should be banned and we can all just go back to horses and buggies. The vague goal of "safer roads" is just as unacceptable as a publicly-traded company declaring their goal to be to vaguely "make more money." If there is a safety crisis, our officials need to declare specifically what it is and what their goals are so that we can know if they are successful. Without such stated goals, we can only assume this whole thing is a ruse and a scheme to generate revenue.

So if the first argument is that our roads are not dangerous enough to warrant these Draconian measures, the second argument is that these cameras are ineffective and either do NOT reduce accidents or actually INCREASE the number of accidents. We've assembled a list of reports, data, and information below to show this.

A third argument about this alleged safety crisis is the concept that trying to change the behavior of drivers (which assumes that cameras are effective in doing this) is somehow going to be more effective/successful than re-engineering the roads and intersections that are alleged to be dangerous and achieving sustained compliance naturally. Workplace safety philosophy dictates that you employ mechanical safe guards and process safety improvement wherever possible so you don't have to rely on changing worker behaviors and training. On the roadways, this would include adjusting speed limits, adjusting yellow light timing, lane markings and designations, and other rules. For example, it is well-established that intersection accident rates are greatly affected by yellow light times. Why not simply adjust the timing? This solution is very low cost and proven to be extremely effective. Camera operators would like you to believe that red-light accidents are caused by people intentionally running the light, because of course, only intentional behavior can be affected by enforcement. The reality is that most red-light crashes are caused by people unintentionally running red lights. If they don't intend to run a red light but do anyway, there is little chance that a camera will change that. A camera serves only to document such events and generate money.

Reports showing speed cameras do not improve accident rates or that speed is not major cause of accidents

Reports showing red light cameras do not improve accident rates

With all of this information available, one has to wonder why our officials have chosen to ignore it. The obvious answer is the revenue. I believe that the real problem is the process. Districts have equipment vendors come in to meetings and give slick presentations promising safety and revenue which sounds "win-win" and "can't lose." The real problem is that the officials never or rarely seek out any information as to why they shouldn't install the equipment in order to counter the slick presentation. The key is public awareness, which is why we are here.

More Evidence

'Dangerous' speed camera rakes in $500,000 a year

Nov. 14, 2009 Telegraph - Article

Excerpt:

Crashes have risen by almost a quarter and casualties have almost doubled since the camera was installed on a busy stretch of the M11 in Essex, in 2000.

Now, details revealed under Freedom of Information legislation, show that the device results in up to 9,000 speeding tickets a year, enough to raise around 500,000 [pounds].

Florida: Early Data Suggest City Traffic Cameras Ineffective

Nov. 7, 2009 The Newspaper - Article

Excerpt:

An early look at the performance of the red light cameras in Temple Terrace, Florida shows that they have done nothing to improve safety. Instead of merely repeating city claims on the topic, investigative reporters for the Tampa station WFTS ordered accident reports and checked the data for themselves. Although the program has been operational for a year, police only released enough data to produce a limited snapshot of the effect on accidents.

Over the first five months of the program, accidents decreased citywide by 13 percent compared to the same period a year earlier without cameras. At intersections with cameras, however, the number of accidents more than doubled from six to fourteen. Contrary to claims that red light cameras decrease accident severity, the average police estimate of damage costs for each accident increased by twenty percent after cameras were installed.

Arizona: Witnesses Blame Accident on Speed Camera

Oct. 9, 2009 The Newspaper - Article

Excerpt:

The panicked reaction that some drivers have to the sight of a speed camera may in fact be a significant cause of accidents. The group CameraFraud.com yesterday released an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) accident report that describes a July 25 incident in which a gray Chevy Camaro collided with a red 1994 Toyota 4Runner SUV on Interstate 17 in Yavapai County, sending two people to the hospital. Although DPS maintains that it hired an A ustralian company, Redflex Traffic Systems, to operate speed cameras to improve safety, the department's own report tells a far different story.

Texas: Study Finds Slim Justification for Camera Installation

May. 12, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - Article

Excerpt

An independent engineering survey found red light cameras would be inappropriate at all but two intersection approaches in Abilene, Texas, results which disappointed city leaders. Last Wednesday, Lee Engineering presented a detailed report to the Red Light Camera Citizen Advisory Committee which had formed in compliance with a 2007 law designed to force officials to think twice before rushing to activate cameras during a budget crunch. The study suggested that engineering improvements might even make cameras unnecessary at those two locations.

"Based on crash and violation data," the study stated, "the report identifies only two approaches that would warrant consideration of photo enforcement in the event that implementation of physical and signal timing changes are unsuccessful at reducing red light running."

CBS News uncovers suspicious activities regarding red light cameras between the cities and the camera vendors.