Safety Groups Join Forces to Make Roads Safer
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has joined forces with the following safety organizations and prepared a checklist for communities that are installing or expanding automated enforcement programs:
- Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
- AAA
- The National Safety Council (NSC)
Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)
Automated enforcement tools such as speed cameras and red light cameras are powerful tools for the enforcement of traffic laws, but the programs need to be implemented carefully in order to receive support from community members.
Automation Can Curb the Biggest Roadway Killers
Two of the most dangerous driving behaviors that lead to major traffic collisions are speeding and red-light running. Research conducted by the IIHS and other organizations has shown that automated enforcement systems successfully reduce such behaviors, and as a result, decrease the number of accidents.
On average, more than a fourth of all yearly fatal car crashes involve excessive speed. In 2019, the number of speed-related deaths totaled 9,478. Red-light running killed 846 people that year – most of the fatalities were bicyclists, pedestrians, and occupants of a vehicle other than the one that ran the red light.
Enforcement Devices Could be More Widely Used
In spite of a large amount of evidence that supports the effectiveness of traffic law enforcement via camera, the technologies are not used to the extent that they could be. In fact, there are fewer communities using red-light cameras now than there were in 2011-2014. Speed cameras are less frequently used than red-light cameras, but installations of the speed devices are increasing – they are currently being used in 159 communities.
Watch the YouTube video. The clip below looks at Canadian speed enforcement programs.
Checklist for Automated Enforcement Implementation
The recently created checklist expands on one that was released in 2018 that only related to red-light cameras. It represents a new set of best practices and is presented as a starting point to help jurisdictions make sure that the programs are data-driven, well-designed, and implemented equitably and transparently. The addition of speed cameras to the checklist was in response to an increased awareness of how speeding increases the number of traffic deaths. This correlation was illustrated during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic when there were fewer cars on the roads but more traffic fatalities because people were driving at high speeds.
Community Input Crucial to Success
The checklist emphasizes that transparency and safety should be the guiding factors for all decisions made about the implementation of camera enforcement programs. It also stresses the importance of input from the community – including residents, victims advocates, law enforcement, and school officials.
Automated Enforcement is One Tool Among Many
Ultimately, the use of automated enforcement devices should be looked at as one tool of many that can make intersections and roadways safer. The implementation of automated enforcement programs should not preclude a community from making other changes to increase safety, such as improvements to roadway design.
Davis Personal Injury Lawyer
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Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/camera-cameras-traffic-watching-19223/
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