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Collisions at Red Light Camera Intersections Go Up
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 Posted By -  Ross McLaughlin

Last Updated On:  5/8/2010 3:09:16 AM
 

ATLANTA -- The red lights cameras are starting to come down. In Georgia new laws state, if there's not a proven reduction in collisions at red light camera intersections the cameras must come out. The Center for Investigative Action spent weeks analyzing crash test data at 17 Atlanta area red light camera intersection and discovered serious collisions have gone up at nearly half of them.

That's got the state taking a second look and already Atlanta has been told to shut down two red light camera intersections because of it; Freedom Parkway at Boulevard Avenue and Piedmont Avenue At Monroe Drive.

The theory is that red light cameras will make drivers think twice before rushing a red light thereby reducing serious collisions. Our investigation discovered two trends. However we discovered an increase in rear end collisions after the red light cameras went in and an increase in more serious side impact or angle collisions.

Steve Decker has been a traffic engineer for 30 years both with Florida State and now Athens Clarke County he's not surprised by some of our findings regarding rear end collisions. "That's very typical," he said standing in front of red light camera intersection at Windy Hill and Cobb Parkway. "They may try to beat the light. They think the guy in front of theme's going to beat the light and that's typical and this is uniform throughout the United States."

However, what Decker doesn't want to see is an increase in side impact or angle collisions. "If I had my choice between a right angle and a rear crash I'd take the rear end collision any day", Decker said." That's because he says injuries from rear end collisions at red light camera injuries are not as serious as angle collisions.

(We analyzed crash test data for 17 Atlanta area intersections; 6 months before red light cameras were installed and compared it to crash data 6 months after. We looked at a year's worth of data for Atlanta. The chart represents a percentage of intersections. )

Yet our analysis showed an increase in angle collisions at 8 out of 17 intersections. In Atlanta 5 out of 8 intersections showed an increase in angle collisions. Some jurisdictions like Lilburn took the cameras out when officials realized safety hadn't improved. However, Atlanta had to be told to take its cameras down even though he had the same data the state used to determine the cameras weren't working.

Even when faced with the results of our investigation Atlanta Public Works interim Commissioner Michael Cheyne defended the cameras. "What I do know is it does enhance safety and I'm for that", he said.

Freedom Parkway and Boulevard was the highest income producing red light camera in the state in 2008 and now the city has to give back $35,000 to motorists who were ticketed in January at that intersection and at the intersection of Piedmont and Monroe. Cheyne says the city didn't receive notice from the state until the end of the month that the red light cameras would not be renewed.

It still looks like the cameras are operating however Decker cleared it up for the CIA, "The cameras themselves have been pulled but the housing is still there."

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