FCRA Transportation Chairman Calls Insurance Discounts Bait and Switch Tactic
for Red Light Ticket Camera Companies
 

By Henry B. Stowe, State Chairman
FCRA, Transportation Committee
 
The Florida Civil Rights Association remains firmly opposed to the installation and use of all electronic monitoring devices including red light cameras.
 
There is documented cooperation between the insurance industry and manufacturers of traffic surveillance devices such as red light cameras. This effort by insurance companies to provide discounts is part of a long term strategy that they are employing to gain public acceptance of red light cameras. The discounts are likely to be small and short lived, similar to the discount offered to people who owned cars with anti-lock brakes. 
 
The interesting thing is, the Insurance Industry for Highway Safety, a misnomer, released a study in 1996 showing that cars equipped with ABS actually had a higher accident rate than cars without it. The insurance company discounts were in place to induce the public to purchase cars with more complicated and sophisticated electronics so that they could increase premiums down the road.
 
Stowe said, the same will occur with red light cameras. While they may offer a discount today, it will go away quickly. It is a loss leader. 
 
Independent studies conducted in VA, FL, NC and other places have shown that red light cameras actually cause more accidents, injuries and fatalities. What is more likely is that insurance companies will re rate their customers shortly after the discount because of increased accident exposure at red light camera intersections. Even if accidents remained the same, you have to question the size of the discount. A discount larger than 1 percent is ludicrous because red light running accidents comprise no more than 2.5 percent of all accidents statewide.
 
The FCRA is opposed to this bait and switch technique used by insurance companies to attempt to mute opposition to red light cameras. The FCRA believes that their attempt will fail.
 

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