Skip to main content

Top five findings in NJDOT three-year red light camera report

Red-light safety cameras installed by American Traffic Solutions (ATS) turned in another year of positive results at intersections in New Jersey, and trends show "driver behaviour is being modified," according to the recently issued New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT) third annual analysis of the photo enforcement program. According to the report, "Further sustained analysis is needed and the Department recommends that the traffic control signal monitoring systems pilot program continue."
April 1, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
Red-light safety cameras installed by 17 American Traffic Solutions (ATS) turned in another year of positive results at intersections in New Jersey, and trends show "driver behaviour is being modified," according to the recently issued 7104 New Jersey Department of Transportation's (NJDOT) third annual analysis of the photo enforcement program. According to the report, "Further sustained analysis is needed and the Department recommends that the traffic control signal monitoring systems pilot program continue."

The pilot program officially began on 16 December 2009 and will end in December 2014. This third annual report describes the pilot program and analyses the safety data for all authorised monitoring systems where violations have been issued for at least one year for the period ending 31 December 2012.  Key findings in the report include:

For the two locations with three years of data, when the pre-camera year crash data is compared to year three, right-angle crashes are down 86 per cent, rear-end crashes are down 58 per cent, total crashes are down 72 per cent, and estimated crash severity costs have been reduced by US$246,200.  Citations issued at these locations are down 83 per cent, comparing the first month of operation with month 36, the last month at the end of the three year period.

Looking at the crash, severity and citation data, both annually and over the three year period the report concludes that the red light running (RLR) system has made a difference and therefore appears to be a viable safety tool at these Group 1 intersections.

For the twenty-two locations that have been active for two full years, when the pre-camera year data is compared to year two, right-angle crashes are down 60 per cent, rear-end crashes are down seven per cent, total crashes are down 27 per cent, and estimated crash severity costs have been reduced by US$787,200. Citations issued at these locations, comparing month 1 of operation with month 24, citations are down 61 per cent.

For the twenty-three intersections that have been operating for one full year, when the pre-camera year is compared to year 1, right-angle crashes are down 15 per cent, rear-end crashes are down three per cent, total crashes are down five per cent, and estimated crash severity costs have decreased by US$2,176,100. Comparing month one with month twelve, citations issued at these locations are down 31 per cent.

Adding the severity costs for each operational year, right-angle crash costs at all RLR intersections have decreased US$1,519,500 and rear-end crash costs have decreased US$1,690,000, resulting in a combined net public benefit of US$3,209,500 for the program up to 31 December 2012.

“Just as New Jersey’s first and second annual reports on red light safety cameras found, this latest analysis shows red light safety cameras are enhancing safety in Jew Jersey,” said Adam Tuton, president of ATS. “The data proves that the longer the programs are in existence, the better the public safety results.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Drover AI’s Alex Nesic: ‘We’re still in the basement level of micromobility’
    April 12, 2022
    The micromobility revolution has reshaped the way we get around cities, but it has created some problems too. Drover AI’s PathPilot is here to help cities – and pedestrians – Alex Nesic tells Adam Hill
  • Norwegian study finds electric cars 'pose environmental threat'
    October 5, 2012
    According to a study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, electric cars might pollute much more than petrol or diesel-powered cars. Researchers found greenhouse gas emissions rose dramatically if coal was used to produce the electricity. Electric car factories also emitted more toxic waste than conventional car factories, claims their report in the Journal of Industrial Energy. However, in some cases electric cars still made sense, the researchers said.
  • Funding shortfall for US Interstate upgrades
    May 11, 2012
    Andrew Bardin Williams investigates tolling on the federal Interstate system as maintenance and upgrade requirements increasingly outpace funding The I-95 corridor through North Carolina is one of the most heavy trafficked interstates in the US, seeing upwards of 46,000 vehicles per day in some stretches-and North Carolina’s Department of Transportation (NCDOT) estimates this number will to rise to 98,000 vehicles per day by 2040. Along with the rest of the federal interstate system, the North Carolina str
  • Ken Leonard talks to ITS International
    August 21, 2014
    Ken Leonard, director of the USDOT’s ITS Joint Program office made time in his schedule during the Helsinki Congress to speak to ITS International. It has been 18 months since Ken Leonard took over as the director of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office at the US Department of Transportation. With 30 years of technical experience behind him, to say he is enjoying the challenge would be to put it mildly: “It is incredibly exciting to be working in intelligent transportation systems, th