Red Light Cameras = Fail

Well duh, and not to harp on a subject, but:

“The rigorous studies clearly show red-light cameras don’t work,” said lead author Barbara Langland-Orban, professor and chair of health policy and management at the USF College of Public Health. “Instead, they increase crashes and injuries as drivers attempt to abruptly stop at camera intersections.”

These things just don’t do what they tell us they’re here to do.

And it’s not just me that realizes this, but people like Bruce Schneier (where I saw this latest story), and people public health professionals and, oh the Office of the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Red light cameras don’t make us any safer since comprehensive studies from North Carolina, Virginia, and Ontario have all reported cameras are associated with increases in crashes. Nor is there any evidence that they really deter running red lights. What they DO do, is lighten our wallets quite efficiently, since they are huge revenue generators for any municipality that installs them.

It’s hard to get any more succinct that Bruce Schneier: Red Light Cameras Don’t Work.

So really, the question becomes: How do we get rid of them?

Source: Schneier on Security

Filed Under: Car News