Increasing the Effectiveness of Red Light Cameras Essay Example

Vision Statement

When red light cameras were introduced, everyone expected that they would make traffic flow seamless. Over speeding is a significant factor in road accidents globally. In the United States, over-speeding alone led to 28% of the total road accidents (Farmer, 2017). The total number of people that died due to red-light running was approximately 700 while 120, 000 more were injured (Farmer, 2017). More than 50% of the people who died were either bicyclists, pedestrians, or other drivers who were only victims of red light runners (Farmer, 2017). Red light cameras have not been as effective as they should because a small percentage of the population is not willing to follow traffic rules no matter the circumstances (Langland-Orban et l., 2016). We can increase the effectiveness of red-light cameras by making road users understand that these tools are only in place to improve the safety of road usage for every citizen.

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Issue Statement

A study was conducted in Houston about the effectiveness of red light cameras. This study reveals that as much as the overall impact of red light cameras has been positive, the number of road accidents at locations with red light cameras has increased significantly. This study conducted in 2011 shows that the number of significant crashes at red light camera locations was 700 against a total number of crashes at these points of 2,600 (Jaffe, 2015). The statistics show a constant increase in these numbers over the years. The failure of red light cameras to meet their full potential can be attributed to various factors.

Some drivers feel that the enforcement of these rules is tied to a revenue generation motive, some of the equipment is unreliable, while other drivers believe that red light camera enforcement is unfair. A 2015 survey in the District of Columbia shows that 55% of drivers support the red light camera use is school areas, 45% support their enforcement in residential areas, while 35% support their utilization in freeways (Farmer, 2017). These statistics show that the implementation of this technology is yet to be fully embraced.

Red light camera enforcement has increased rear-end collisions. A driver hoping to avoid getting captured by the camera will use emergency brakes, and this unfortunate circumstance will lead to a rear-end collision (Lee et al., 2014). Additionally, the enforcement of red-light cameras has increased corruption involving camera companies. Some of these companies have been accused of altering yellow lights in a way that promotes their ticket sales. The procedure for issuing tickets is broadened in an attempt to capture more traffic offenders. In light of these challenges, drivers may feel that these rules are biased against them and become more reluctant to follow traffic rules.

Solution Statement

There are numerous ways of addressing the challenges surrounding the enforcement of red light cameras. Law enforcement should reduce their over-reliance on red light cameras. Other programs should be implemented to complement the use of this technology. Traffic enforcers should also enlighten the public on the level of safety that has been achieved since the implementation of these measures (McCartt & Hu, 2014). This will help more people embrace the use of red light cameras hence make them adhere to road signs. Additionally, there should be increased transparency to reduce the cases of corruption by camera companies that only want to boost their tickets. By providing improving the attitude of drivers towards red light cameras, enlightening the public, and increasing transparency, we will see an improvement in the effectiveness of red light camera implementation.

References

Farmer, C. M. (2017). Automated Traffic Enforcement: Responding to the Critics. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 5, 1-7.

Jaffe, E. (2015). Why Red Light Cameras Have Big Safety Benefits But Little Support. Retrieved from https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2015/08/why-red-light-cameras-have-big-safety-benefits-but-little-support/401291/

McCartt, A. T., & Hu, W. (2014). Effects of red light camera enforcement on red light violations in Arlington County, Virginia. Journal of safety research, 48, 57-62.

Lee, Y., Li, Z., Zhang, S., Roshandeh, A. M., Patel, H., & Liu, Y. (2014). Safety impacts of red light running photo enforcement at urban signalized intersections. Journal of traffic and transportation engineering (English edition), 1(5), 309-324.

Langland-Orban, B., Pracht, E. E., Large, J. T., Zhang, N., & Tepas III, J. T. (2016). Explaining differences in crash and injury crash outcomes in red light camera studies. Evaluation & the health professions, 39(2), 226-244.