Red light cameras proven to reduce fatal crashes at intersections: IIHS

Red light cameras decreased the number of vehicles running red lights by 24%, adding up to 74 fewer fatal red light running crashes, and saving approximately 83 lives, reported the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The rate of all fatal crashes at intersections with signals – not just red light running crashes – fell 14% in the camera cities and crept up 2% in the non-camera cities.

The IIHS studied 99 US cities with populations over 200,000, and compared those with red light programs to those without. Because they wanted to see how the rate of fatal crashes changed after the introduction of cameras, they compared two periods, 2004-08 and 1992-96. Cities with cameras during the 1992-96 period were excluded, as were cities with cameras for only a portion of the later part of the study.

“This result shows that red light cameras reduce not only fatal red light running crashes, but other types of fatal intersection crashes as well,” the IIHS said in a release.

“One possible reason for this is that red light running fatalities are undercounted due to a lack of witnesses to explain what happened in a crash. Drivers may also be more cautious in general with they know there are cameras around.”