Skip to main content

Decrease in Florida’s red-light running crashes

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' (DHSMV) recently-released third annual Red-Light Camera Summary Report analysed data from 68 police agencies in the cities and towns in Florida where red-light safety cameras are deployed. The report shows a decrease in red-light running violations and crashes at intersections with red-light safety cameras and is consistent with results from previous state reports affirming the effectiveness of this important law enforcement tool. Total violations
January 6, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' (DHSMV) recently-released third annual Red-Light Camera Summary Report analysed data from 68 police agencies in the cities and towns in Florida where red-light safety cameras are deployed. The report shows a decrease in red-light running violations and crashes at intersections with red-light safety cameras and is consistent with results from previous state reports affirming the effectiveness of this important law enforcement tool. Total violations decreased 14 percent from the 2013 study.

Out of the total 68 cities with red light cameras, 52 listed an improvement in driving behaviour, public awareness, reduction in reoffending, reduction in number of violations issued, severity of crashes, reduction in crashes, and/or increases in driver and pedestrian safety as specific additional results of the red light camera program.

Out of 23 cities that listed additional factors the jurisdiction felt most important to consider when selecting an intersection for red light cameras, 54 percent listed public safety-related factors, including the number of fatal crashes and hit and runs occurring at the intersection as well as pedestrian safety concerns.

Results in the DHSMV mirror those found in the 2014 Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) analysis that reported a 49 per cent decrease in fatal crashes at red-light safety camera intersections on state roads saving an estimated 18 lives. A separate analysis released in December 2013 by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, an office of the 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, shows red-light running fatalities decreased 27 per cent in Florida, from 83 fatalities in 2011 to 61 in 2012, outpacing the nation's five per cent decrease. Every averted traffic fatality involves an economic savings. The estimated cost to each community for a single traffic fatality is estimated to be in the millions, according to cost components selected by the 831 Federal Highway Administration.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • US study finds cameras reduce red light running
    January 28, 2013
    The latest research by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that red light running rates declined at Arlington, Virginia, intersections equipped with cameras. The decreases were particularly large for the most dangerous violations, those happening 1.5 seconds or longer after the light turned red. "This study provides fresh evidence that automated enforcement can get drivers to modify their behaviour," says Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at IIHS and the study's lead au
  • New report reveals red-light running data and trends across 20 states
    May 22, 2014
    More than 3.5 million drivers in 20 US states ran a red light in 2013, according to the second biannual Safer Roads Report 2014: Trends in Red-Light Running from the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR). The report, released today, examines red-light running trends across 20 states and is designed to help raise driver awareness of the dangers of red-light running. The risks of red-light running are clear: intersection-related vehicle accidents caused more than 8,500 causalities in 2011 – the most r
  • CRASH Predicts ‘unpredictable’ in traffic incidents
    November 11, 2015
    Road crashes are not as random as they may appear and analysing data can reveal patterns that can help various authorities target their resources more accurately. David Crawford reports. Figures from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that in 2013 there were 32,719 people killed on American roads and 2.31 million injured. While these form part of an overall 25% drop over the decade from 2004, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx continues to stress that reaching the procl
  • Speed cameras - road safety benefits
    October 17, 2014
    The 2014 speed camera review by the New South Wales Centre for Road Safety shows that speed cameras continue to deliver positive road safety benefits. A total of 95 fixed speed camera locations were reviewed, with 93 locations shown to be effective from the initial analysis. This positive result shows the review, now in its third year, has systematically identified ineffective fixed speed cameras for decommissioning. Overall at these fixed speed camera locations, there was a 42 per cent reduction in the