Speed Camera News CRASHES DROP after SCAMERAS ARE GONE in Charlotte, NC
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/09/10/1680134/fewest-charlotte-collisions-in.html
Fewest Charlotte collisions in decade
The number of car crashes is way down, but CDOT isn't sure why.
By Steve Harrison
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Posted: Friday, Sep. 10, 2010
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Crash-prone intersections
There were 17,648 car crashes on Charlotte's streets last year - the fewest number of collisions since 2000.
The Charlotte Department of Transportation last week released its annual report on traffic collisions and fender benders, with data on vehicle and pedestrian crashes all generally lower than a decade ago.
The city also said the city's most dangerous intersection -- East Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Davidson Street in uptown -- is now much safer after a traffic light was installed in March. When accidents were studied from 2007-2009, that intersection ranked as the city's most collision-prone when judged on its relatively light traffic.
That intersection had 46 vehicle crashes over the three-year period. Its accident rate was far higher than the second-most accident-prone intersection, which was Camden Road and East Park Avenue in the South End.
"Since the installation of the signal (at MLK and Davidson), we have had zero crashes," said Debbie Self, a special projects manager with the Charlotte Department of Transportation.
The intersection with the most collisions during the three-year period was Albemarle Road and E. W.T. Harris Boulevard, which carries more than 90,000 cars a day. There were 163 crashes there from 2007-2009.
Sorting stats
CDOT uses the list to study where and how it should spend money to make intersections safer.
In 2000, the city estimated that there 17 million miles driven on its streets. That includes federal highways such as U.S. 74 and state roads like N.C. 51, but interstates.
That year, there were 24,856 crashes and 79 fatalities.
The crash rate per million miles traveled was 1,458. The fatality rate per million vehicle miles was 4.63. Self said in 2000 there were more people killed in vehicle crashes than were murdered in the city.
After 2000, the number of crashes and fatalities generally began to fall, as did the crash rate. Last year, the crash rate was 868 crashes per million miles driven, the second-lowest rate in the last decade.
In 2009, there were 40 fatal crashes, and the fatality rate was 1.97 -- the third-lowest rate this decade. The fatality rate was 4.63 in 2000.
Self said she couldn't explain the general trend towards city streets becoming safer. The city's red-light cameras that automatically sent tickets to red-light runners were used from 1998 to 2006. And speeding cameras were used from 2004 to 2006.
Crashes didn't tick up once the cameras stopped catching scofflaws.
The Charlotte City Council has debated whether to bring the cameras back, but has said it wants to study the issue further.
In 2000, there were 4.6 pedestrian crashes per 10,000 people living in Charlotte. That rate has held mostly steady this decade, and was 4.3 last year.
The rate of bicycle collisions has declined, however. Ten years ago, there were 2.13 bicycle collisions with cars per 10,000 people living in the city. Last year the rate was 1.2.
It's possible that the actual rate of accidents for bikers and walkers is lower if judged differently.
The city is judging the accident rate based on the city's population rather than the amount of miles people are walking or biking. In the last decade, Charlotte has made a significant investment in adding new bike lanes on streets as well as building new sidewalks, likely leading to more people forgoing their cars.
"We're very committed to building more pedestrian and bicycle facilities," said Self.
The Lynx effect
The second-most collision-prone intersection, Camden Road and Park Avenue, likely made the list because of the Lynx Blue Line. There were14 accidents there in the last three years, with most of them cars running into the wooden gate arms that close when a train is approaching.
The intersection only carries 4,900 trips a day.
One intersection that CDOT will scrutinize is Cambridge Commons Drive and Harrisburg Road, near Interstate 485 in east Charlotte. That intersection had 9 crashes in 2007 and 17 in 2009.
A year ago, it was the 52nd most collision-prone intersection. This year, it moved up to 9th.
"We're looking at that one," Self said. "We'll work with the N.C. Department of Transportation because this intersection is close to the ramps with I-485."
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