State Study Backs Red Light Cameras

SAN DIEGO -- A statewide study of intersection camera programs like the one suspended in San Diego has found the systems effective in reducing crashes caused by drivers running red lights, it was announced Tuesday.

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Data gathered by the California Bureau of Audits showed a 10 percent lower rate of such accidents at photographically monitored crossings, the agency reported.

In San Diego, conversely, crashes attributed to stoplight scofflaws have increased 14 percent since the city suspended its controversial camera program for a review last year.

Red-light running is a "reckless and preventable traffic-safety menace," said Monica Zech of the El Cajon Fire Department.

"It's a matter of saving lives," she said. "The sooner we resume these life-saving programs in California, the better."

In 2000, intersection crashes in California resulted in 17,705 injuries and 172 fatalities, according to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.

Nationally, stoplight-running accidents result in nearly 1,000 deaths and about 90,000 injuries annually, the advocacy group reported.

From 1992-98, reported red-light crashes increased at an 18 percent rate. The Federal Highway Administration reported that 96 percent of drivers fear being hit by a red-light runner, yet 55.8 percent admit to running stoplights.

The leading excuse is being in a hurry, combined with a low expectation of being caught, according to the federal agency.

The Bureau of Audits undertook its investigation in response to a request from the California legislature.

Other studies have shown similarly dramatic results, according to the state body. An audit of San Diego's program, for example, found that crashes caused by red-lights runners dropped 44 percent at camera-monitored crossings.

Additionally, a stoplight camera program in Oxnard has resulted in a 46 percent reduction in injury causing crashes involving signal or sign violations.

"Aggressive driving is not a right, and red-light cameras present no threat of any sort to safe drivers," said Leslie Blakey, executive director of the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.

Photo enforcement "can reverse the trend toward this irresponsible behavior," Blakey said.