Skip to main content

Study finds red-light cameras reduce crashes

A study carried out by Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Department of Public Works shows drops in both traffic crashes and violations at selected intersections in the five years since the city launched a traffic light camera program. The study evaluated intersections where traffic cameras were installed in 2008 and 2009 by comparing the average number of crashes in the years before and after the cameras took effect, and showed a sharp decline in right-angle crashes - considered the most dangerous type of collisions
July 3, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A study carried out by Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Department of Public Works shows drops in both traffic crashes and violations at selected intersections in the five years since the city launched a traffic light camera program.

The study evaluated intersections where traffic cameras were installed in 2008 and 2009 by comparing the average number of crashes in the years before and after the cameras took effect, and showed a sharp decline in right-angle crashes - considered the most dangerous type of collisions - but also showed slight increases in rear-end crashes.

There was an average of 69 right-angle crashes in total at intersections in 2006 and 2007; when cameras were installed in 2008, right-angle crashes at those locations dropped to a combined average of 41 per year for the years 2009 through 2011, or a decline of 40 per cent.

In the same time frame, rear-end collisions for the designated intersections increased by 4 percent and total injuries for all collisions dropped 15 per cent.

Of 19 intersections that still have traffic cameras, 13 showed reductions in traffic light violations between the first year they were installed and 2012, according to data provided by 17 American Traffic Solutions, the company overseeing the city-parish camera program.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Acusensus highlights magnitude of seatbelt problem
    March 8, 2023
    If you don’t wear a seatbelt, you’re disproportionately likely to be killed in road collisions. Geoff Collins of Acusensus talks to Adam Hill about how AI will allow police to monitor and prevent this risky behaviour
  • Stepped speed limits improve workzone congestion and safety
    January 30, 2012
    Traffic flow has been improved, congestion eased and safety increased - by a system of 'stepped speed limits' introduced to UK roadworks. URS Scott Wilson principal consultant Jamie Uff reports
  • Lane departure warning, blind spot detection help drivers avoid trouble, say researchers
    September 7, 2017
    According to new research from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), lane departure warning, a technology designed to address an often-fatal type of crash, is preventing crashes on US roads. A separate study shows that blind spot detection also is yielding benefits when it comes to preventing lane-change crashes.
  • AAA camera research finds 46 per cent improvement in blind-zone visibility
    October 31, 2014
    Tests carried out by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on rear-view camera systems found that they improved rear visibility an average of 46 per cent. These systems are intended to improve driver awareness of the area immediately behind the vehicle in order to reduce the instance of back-over fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires a rear-view image in all passenger vehicles beginning in 2016, with full compliance by May 2018. In conjunction with the Automobile Clu