By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    tips for getting drugs from an online pharmacy
    How to Get Prescriptions Online Reliably and Cost-Effectively
    November 9, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Congresswoman’s Staff Renews Call for Funding of Care for Complex Head Injuries
    April 22, 2011
    More On Wellness Programs To Improve Health and Reduce Costs
    January 25, 2012
    Squandering Medicare’s Money
    June 9, 2011
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Red Light Cameras Save Lives
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Red Light Cameras Save Lives
Public Health

Red Light Cameras Save Lives

GlennLaffel
Last updated: August 25, 2017 1:37 pm
GlennLaffel
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Most people don’t like them. Privacy advocates abhor them. But really, how many things can you name that save lives AND generate revenues for cash-strapped local and state governments?

redlightcamera Like em or not, Red Light Cameras Save LivesRed light cameras are one such item. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has revealed that the cameras saved 159 lives over a 4-year period in the 14 large US cities where the study took place.

Extrapolating the findings to all large US cities, Institute scientists claimed that more than 800 traffic fatalities would have been prevented during the course of the study.

More Read

Pharmacists Make 2.3 Million Medication Mistakes – Should You Be Worried?
The Right to Eat What We Want
Want the Young and Invincible to Buy Into Obamacare? Answer These 3 Questions
Should We Bail Out Hospitals for Their Bad Debt?
Apple investors say iPhones cause teen depression. Science doesn’t

To reach these conclusions, the scientists compared fatal car crash rates in US cities with populations of at least 200,000 for two 4-year periods: 1992-1996 and 2004-2008. They excluded cities that had already deployed red light cameras in the earlier period, and cities that instituted cameras during the later period.

In the 14 cities that used red light cameras during 2004-08, the rate of fatal red light running crashes was 35% lower than in 1992-96. The crash rate did drop in cities that never deployed camera programs, but only by 14%.

Based on these data, the scientists determined that the rate of fatal red light running crashes was 24% lower in cities with cameras in 2004-08 than it would have been had they not deployed the cameras.

In fact, the benefits of the red light camera programs were actually larger than this. The rate of all fatal crashes at intersections with signals (not just red light running crashes) dropped by 14% in cities that deployed red light cameras, whereas it increased by 2% in other cities.

The report did recognize earlier findings showing an increase in rear-end collisions in areas governed by red light cameras, but explained that right-angle crashes—the kind that are reduced by the cameras—create more severe injuries and damage than rear-end ones, so the net impact of the cameras remains positive.

The likely explanation for the beneficial effect is that drivers develop more cautious driving behaviors when they know red light cameras have been deployed.

“The cities that have the courage to use red light cameras despite the political backlash are saving lives,” said Institute president Adrian Lund in a press release. “Somehow, the people who get tickets because they have broken the law have been cast as the victims,” Lund added. “We rarely hear about the real victims — the people who are killed or injured by these lawbreakers.”

Since 2000, the number of cities using red light cameras has grown from 25 to 500. Although national surveys suggest there is popular support for red light camera programs, opponents have turned up their rhetoric in recent years, claiming the programs violate drivers’ privacy, among other things.

Drivers frequently denounce red light cameras as a naked money-making scheme, and there is no doubt the cameras are big revenue generators. Washington, DC for example, pocketed nearly $7.2 million on more than 85,000 camera-generated red light violations between June 2009 and May, 2010.

Aside from that, most cities publish the locations of their red light cameras on their Web sites.

Manpower issues make it prohibitively expensive to police all traffic intersections on a regular basis.

“There simply are not enough resources to put a police officer at every intersection, and enforcement at intersections is often dangerous,” Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association said in an interview. “We have known for years that when the public sees a law being enforced, they will respect it and drive more safely. That has been true with drunk driving and seat-belt laws, and it is also true with red-light cameras.”

TAGGED:public healthred light cameras
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

health rewards
BusinessFinanceGlobal HealthcarePublic Health

When It Comes to Health Rewards, It Seems the World Is Flat

December 1, 2014

Taking Patient Engagement Into the Shark Tank

April 8, 2015

FDA Approves New Drug for Cystic Fibrosis

February 2, 2012

Clinics, Free Clinics, and the Future Uninsured – Interview with Erika Viccellio

March 31, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?