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

  • Speeding the recovery of stranded commercial vehicles is paying dividends in Georgia
    April 9, 2014
    Delcan’s Cheryl-Marie Hansberger details how Georgia’s Towing and Recovery Incentive Program (TRIP) has improved road safety and helped to reduce traffic congestion in the metro Atlanta region. By 2008, steady increases in population had led the Texas Transportation Institute to declare Atlanta, Georgia to be the third most congested city in the US. In an effort to increase road user safety and mitigate the effects of traffic, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and its local partners have imple
  • Study shows Irish speed cameras provide five-fold benefit
    April 30, 2015
    Ireland’s mobile speed cameras have been shown to save lives and money but face a legal challenge. David Crawford reports. In 2011 the Republic of Ireland introduced mobile safety cameras on dangerous roads which have, according to the country’s first cost-benefit analysis of the technology, saved an average of 23 lives a year.
  • Idaho adds human dimension to winter savings
    September 23, 2014
    Idaho leverages the increased capability and reliability of its road weather sensor network to reduce costs and prevent accidents. Weather-related accidents can form a significant chunk of an authorities’ annual road casualty statistics. While authorities cannot control the weather, the technology exists to monitor the road conditions and react with warnings to motorists and the treatment of icy or snow-covered roads. However, with all capital expenditure now placed under the microscope of public scrutiny,
  • RAC: over half of drivers believe congestion has worsened on UK major roads
    November 2, 2017
    56% of 1,727 drivers questioned in an annual survey believe that congestion has worsened on UK major roads, which carries 65% of all traffic, despite them comprising only 13% of the country’s road network. The findings from the survey have been presented by the RAC’s Report on Motoring.