Red Light Camera

Roxann L. Ali

Applied Statistical Methods

22 February 2012

The Effectiveness of Red Light Cameras

Red light cameras help communities enforce traffic laws by automatically photographing vehicles whose drivers run red lights. The red light camera system is connected to a traffic signal and sensor that monitors traffic flow at intersections and crosswalks. The system continuously monitors the traffic signal, and the camera is triggered by a vehicle that enters the intersection above a preset minimum speed and following a specified time after the signal has turned red.

The cameras record the date, time of day, time elapsed since the beginning of the red light signal, vehicle speed, and license plate. A notice is then mailed to the last registered owner of the violating vehicles, based on review of the photographic evidence. Typically, a police officer reviews the violation photos before a citation is mailed to a vehicle’s owner and the requirements for proving and adjudicating violations vary from state to state.

Red light running is a big problem worldwide. A nationwide study of fatal crashes at traffic signals in 1999 and 2000 estimated that 20 percent of the drivers involved, failed to obey the signals. In 2006, approximately 900 people were killed and an estimated 144,000 were injured in crashes involving red light running. About half of the deaths contributed to red light running crashes involved pedestrians and occupants in vehicles hit by red light runners. Occupant injuries occurred in 45 percent of these type crashes, compared to 30 in other crash types.

Red light cameras have been in use in Europe for over 40 years. New York City became the first municipality in the United States to install the cameras; but, in recent years, with the advent of digital photography, the technology of red light cameras has flourished stateside and today over 140 communities in 20 states use red light...