| Title | Red-light Cameras Don't Reduce Traffic Accidents or Improve Public Safety: Analysis | |
| Date | Friday July 20 2018, @03:36AM | |
| Author | martyb | |
| Topic | ||
| from the but-they-do-work-to-raise-ticket-income dept. | ||
Red-light cameras don't reduce the number of traffic accidents or injuries at intersections where the devices are installed, according a new analysis by Case Western Reserve University.
Touted by supporters as a way increase public safety by ticketing drivers who continue through red lights, the cameras actually shift traffic patterns: More drivers tend to brake harder and more abruptly, increasing fender-benders and other so-called "non-angle" collisions.
"Once drivers knew about the cameras, they appeared to accept a higher accident risk from slamming on their brakes at yellow lights to avoid an expensive traffic citation—thereby decreasing safety for themselves and other drivers," said Justin Gallagher, an assistant professor of economics at Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve.
Accidents didn't decrease, only shift.
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printed from SoylentNews, Red-light Cameras Don't Reduce Traffic Accidents or Improve Public Safety: Analysis on 2024-04-24 05:52:48