Are Red Light Traffic Cameras Helping or Hurting

I think a lot of us have tried to beat the light and been caught by that dastardly “Red Light Camera Cop”. So it got me to thinking, if you are approaching a street light with a camera and you suddenly realize you don’t have time to make it through and you slam on your brakes to avoid getting that ticket, what do you think is going to happen to that car behind you that’s not ready for you to come to a screeching halt?

Well I found a report on National Motorist Association from Baytown, TX, on the results of the city’s red light ticket camera program.

The camera proponents are going to be hard pressed to lavish praise on the results:

40 percent increase in total accidents

75 percent increase in injury accidents

37 percent increase in “t-bone” right angle crashes

83 percent increase in rear-end collisions

These disastrous results should really be no surprise. Independent studies (no financial interest) of the automated intersection ticketing programs have repeatedly shown an increase in rear- end collisions, more injuries, and contrary to the claims of ticket camera proponents, no reduction in right-angle crashes.

But, tomorrow, just as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west there will be a government official or clueless reporter making the claim that red light cameras improve traffic safety.

Baytown officials are being presented with a petition to put ticket cameras to a vote .

These numbers are happening all over the United States:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJRwaTwO4s

There’s certainly two sides of this argument.

So, what do you think, Fort Worth? Are red light camera cops a good thing or a bad thing? Have you or anyone you know ever been involved in an accident due to the mere presence of a red light camera? I’m curious, drop me a line!

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