Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/116528
Capitol Hill Report Further Evidence Safety Camera Programs Reduce Red-Light Running Another study - released recently by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) - provides more supporting evidence that red-light safety camera programs are effective. The study looked at a camera program in Arlington, Va. where red-light running rates have decreased at intersections with cameras. They found the largest decline - 86 percent - in violations that prove to be the most dangerous, occurring 1.5 seconds into the red light cycle. CHANGING LANES Arlington installed cameras in June 2010 at heavily traveled intersections. IIHS started documenting violation trends by videotaping traffic during a 30-day warning period after the cameras were installed. They continued to capture footage a month after ticketing began and again after a year of operation. The research revealed red-light running violations went down across the board at camera intersections. Another IIHS study of large U.S. cities in 2011 found that safety cameras reduced the rate of fatal red-light running collisions by 24 percent. Intersections are a major focus for improving road safety. In 2010, more than 2.2 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes involving an 14 capitol hill report 0413 cl.indd 2 intersection led to 7,707 deaths and 68,000 serious non-fatal injuries. As proven in Arlington, red-light safety cameras are an effective tool in reducing a key contributor to intersection collisions - the deadly act of running a red light. ATA Renews Call for FMCSA to Implement Crash Accountability The American Trucking Associations recently reiterated its call for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to immediately establish a process to remove from motor carriers' records crashes where it was plainly evident that the carrier was not to blame. Currently, carriers' scores in FMCSA's safety monitoring system, Compliance, Safety, Accountability, are based on all carrier-involved crashes, including those that the companies' drivers did not cause and could not reasonably have prevented. ATA pointed to several examples of such crashes that have occurred over the past year: Driver of stolen car crosses grassy median. Suspected drunk driver rear-ends gasoline tanker. Pursuit of stolen SUV ends in tank truck crash. "In January, police gave chase to a driver of a stolen car who crossed a grassy median and struck a truck head-on," said ATA april 2013 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM 3/5/13 2:28 PM