The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the National Safety Council, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and AAA recently developed a red light camera checklist for transportation officials, law enforcement agencies, and local policymakers.
The checklist is intended to encourage communities to use automated enforcement. It includes steps to help communities build and maintain public support, and instructions for planning, implementing and evaluating red light camera programs.
“When properly implemented, red light cameras can help save lives and can serve to supplement law enforcement efforts, rather than generate revenue for governments,” Jill Ingrassia, AAA’s managing director of government relations and traffic safety advocacy, said. “This new set of guidelines is an excellent starting point in ensuring adequate safeguards are put in place to maintain the public’s trust.”
Running red lights is one of the top causes of auto accidents in urban areas. In 2016, more than 800 people died in crashes involving red-light running, according to IIHS. This was a 17 percent increase from 2012.
More than half the fatalities in red-light running crashes are pedestrians, bicyclists, and people in other vehicles hit by red-light runners.
This month, 421 communities had red light camera programs.