Crashes Increased at Red Light Camera Intersections

Just because red light cameras are running does not mean they stop accidents.

Intersections with red light cameras have seen a rise in crashes, according to a Clearwater Police report studying the six month pilot program. However, officials are not pointing to the camera program as the culprit to the increase.

“Impact on crash occurrences is inconclusive,” according to the report. “It’s difficult to correlate red light camera enforcement to any increase or reduction in the crash activity based solely on the number of crashes and minimal sample size available for this analysis.”

Accident frequency has to do with several factors that may or may not have to do with red light cameras including increase of vehicles on the road, change in traffic pattern at the intersection and chance, according to the report.

Total crash reports increased more than 6 percent in 2012, however, the increase in the number of crashes is more than that at both intersections with red light cameras.

Crashes increased 40 percent, from 45 to 64 accidents, at the Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road intersection, according to the report. Accidents increased from 4 to 14 from Oct. 2011 to 2012 and from 2 to 11 in Dec. 2011 to 2012. However, a review of crashes those months showed the increase was not related to red light cameras, according to the report.

Crashes increased 22 percent at Chestnut Street and Fort Harrison Avenue with three of four crashes in December being red light violations, according to the report.

To fully realize if the red light cameras are helping to reduce those types of crashes more time would be needed to study traffic patterns, officials said.

The cameras were installed at the two intersections in an effort to reduce red light running crashes and the injuries associated with those incidents. Success is considered achieving a 15 percent reduction in violations, not accident occurrence.

The three camera system is set up at different intersections along State Road 60 chosen based on their rate of red light crashes. Over the last three years, there were 250 collisions at signalized intersections because of red light running.

There were 11 accidents at the Chestnut intersection and 10 at Belcher Road and Gulf to Bay Boulevard during a three-month study conducted before the program started in July 2012.

Fatal crash rates involving red light running reduced 24 percent in 14 large cities using red light cameras from 2004 to 2008, according to a 2011 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road 2011/2012 Crash Comparison:

Chestnut Street and Fort Harrison Avenue 2011/2012 Crash Comparison: 

Related coverage:

• Red Light Camera Revenue Tops $570K in Clearwater
• Red Light Cameras Could Get Repeal in Clearwater
• Pinellas Clerk Asks Clearwater to Stop Writing Red Light Camera Tickets
• Cameras Cut Red Light Running in Clearwater
• Red Light Cameras Reducing Crashes in Florida
• Red Light Camera Locations in Clearwater
• Red Light Cameras Coming to Clearwater
• Red Light Cameras Running in Clearwater
• City Approved Red Light Camera Proposal

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