Washington Injury Attorney Blog

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in a news release, reports that two-thirds of the drivers polled in 14 big cities -- cities with population of greater than 200K -- support the use of red light cameras. This study comes on the heels of a study which showed that red light cameras have reduced fatal red light running motor vehicle accidents by 24% in these same 14 cities.

We wrote about the previous study that showed that red light cameras saves lives. This latest study sought to understand driver's attitudes towards red light cameras.
The results include:

• 9 out of 10 drivers believe red light running is unacceptable
  
• 8 out of 10 drivers believe that red light running is a serious threat to personal safety
  
• 2/3 drivers favor red light cameras at intersections
  
• 42% of drivers strongly favor red light cameras.

Opponents of red light cameras have been vociferous claiming that red light cameras are strictly a revenue-making operation for cities. They also cite privacy. Studies show, however, that ticketing actually goes down as drivers change their behavior when they know that red light cameras are present. In cities where red light cameras are installed, drivers are more careful at all intersections, not just at the intersections where the cameras are.

Drivers are mixed on their support of red light cameras for right-on-red violations. These violations are:

• Turing right on red where not permitted
  
• Turning right on red without first making a stop

While these violations do not cause t-bone accidents, they are hazardous to pedestrians and bicyclists.
For more information, read Attitudes Toward Red Light Camera Enforcement in Cities with Camera Programs.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents due to the negligence of another.

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