July-September 2007
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Tech-Bytes: Red Light Cameras
Research Council Issues New Report on Impacts of Cameras on Crashes in Virginia
Red light camera in housing
The numbers for those injured and killed in red light running crashes are sobering:
- In Virginia in 2004, red light running caused nearly 5,000 crashes, more than 3,600 injuries and at least 26 fatalities.
- Nationally, more than 800 people die in red light running crashes, while more than 200,000 are injured.
None of these statistics take into account the high costs of property damage, medical treatment and productivity losses.
The 2007 General Assembly enacted legislation that allows localities, at their discretion, to use red light camera enforcement. The legislation also requires VDOT to approve the selected intersections.
A new report by the Virginia Transportation Research Council provides valuable insight on the practical aspects of implementing that legislation.
It reveals that red light cameras reduced red light running crashes (mostly angle or side impact) by about 42 percent. This is significant, given that angle crashes tend to be more severe than rear-end crashes.
The study also found that rear-end crashes increased by about 27 percent. The study was conducted in Northern Virginia and covered the period between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 2004.
The Research Council has issued two reports since 2005 that studied the impacts of red light cameras and photo enforcement as a preventive measure for this potentially deadly traffic infraction.
In January 2005, the Research Council published its first report on the effectiveness of red light camera enforcement in Virginia.
Research continued and a second report, “The Impact of Red Light Cameras (Photo-Red Enforcement) on Crashes in Virginia,” was issued in late June. The report is available at http://vtrc.virginiadot.org/PubDetails.aspx?PubNo=07-R2.
This report’s findings are based on data reflecting more than 3,500 crashes during the seven-year study period at 28 intersections with cameras and 44 intersections without cameras in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax City, Fairfax County, Falls Church and Vienna.
Key findings from the report include:
- When applied at intersections with certain types of configurations, traffic and crash patterns, camera enforcement is a technology tool that holds the potential to dramatically reduce angle crashes – the most severe – associated with red light running.
- Camera enforcement is likely to result in increased rear-end crashes, which are considered a lower risk of severity than angle crashes.
- Camera enforcement should be instituted on a case-by-case basis, based on a thorough review of signal timing, length of the yellow phase, intersection sight distance, and the history of red light running and rear-end crashes at the intersection.
A sign denoting photo
enforcement used in
some states.
As a comparison with other areas throughout the U.S. that employ red light cameras, The Seattle Times recently reported that red light cameras installed at four Seattle intersections have resulted in nearly 14,000 traffic citations and that red light violations dropped by a third over the course of a year, after a brief initial spike.
San Diego, which also uses red light cameras, reported a 30 percent drop in accidents with a slight reduction in violations. Red light cameras are used in more than 100 communities throughout the nation.
The researchers on this project were Dr. Nicholas J. Garber, P.E., faculty research scientist at VTRC and professor of civil engineering at the University of Virginia; Dr. John S. Miller, P.E., associate principal research scientist, VTRC; R. Elizabeth Abel and Santhosh K. Korukonda, graduate research assistants at U.Va.; and Saeed Eslambolchi, director of research administration at U.Va.’s Center for Transportation Studies.
— Ann Overton
Photo Red Workshops Scheduled for Localities
The 2007 General Assembly enacted legislation that gives localities the option of installing and operating red light camera systems.
Before these systems – also commonly called photo enforcement – can be installed, the locality must complete an engineering safety analysis for the specific intersection, taking into account the intersection’s accident rate and the difficulty law enforcement officers have in apprehending violators, among other factors.
Localities also must submit the list of potential photo enforcement intersections to VDOT for final approval.
VDOT traffic engineers have developed draft guidelines for use by localities as they determine whether photo enforcement would be an effective tool in their areas.
Feedback on the guidelines is being gathered from localities now, and four educational workshops have been scheduled in September.
For more on VDOT’s role in red light running camera systems, see VirginiaDOT.org/photored.
