Debate on red light cameras in Florida hots up

University of South Florida researchers have published a report claiming that red light cameras do nothing to improve road safety, directly contradicting a national study by the Institute for Highway Safety that showed a major drop in fatal crashes in cities using red light cameras.
March 15, 2012 Read time: 1 min
3953 University of South Florida researchers have published a report claiming that red light cameras do nothing to improve road safety, directly contradicting a national study by the Institute for Highway Safety that showed a major drop in fatal crashes in cities using red light cameras.USF researchers Barbara Langland-Orban, Etienne Pracht and John Large in a report published this month in the peer-reviewed Florida Public Health Review say cities could do more to prevent red light running before resorting to cameras. They say the key is the length of the yellow light phase: extending it by just one second can virtually eliminate red light running.

Meanwhile, a National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) survey, conducted by national research firm, FrederickPolls, has just been published and concludes that 72 per cent of Floridians support red light safety camera laws. Its website also features the latest study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety hotly contested by the researchers from USF.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Better road safety reduces Europe’s casualty figures
    April 1, 2014
    Improving road safety in the EU has resulted in a drop in the fatality rate. Official figures just released show that the number of people killed on Europe's roads fell by 8% in 2013. This follows on from the drop in fatalities of between 2011 and 2012. These provisional figures released by the European Commission provide grounds for optimism and Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said, “We welcome the reduction in the number of road deaths in Europe last yea
    Read More
  • Optimising traffic control ensures efficient use of infrastructure
    April 10, 2013
    Central and local governments are facing many challenges, not least a shortage of funds due to budget restraints in the US and Europe in particular. In other markets, ensuring efficient traffic flow is the priority, with monitoring of network status being a key tool. New technology for traffic monitoring plays a crucial role and the sector is keen to introduce new and more efficient systems. The Transport Research laboratory (TRL) has long been a pioneer of traffic control technologies and its latest MAAPc
    Read More
  • Almost gone: Canada’s old Port Mann Bridge deconstructed
    August 14, 2015
    Three years ago a welder’s cut halved Canada’s old Port Mann Bridge. David Arminas reports from the banks of the Fraser River. By the time this issue of World Highways reaches you, one of Canada’s iconic steel arch bridges will be a shadow of its former self. It’s been a three-year demolition job since the first cut across the deck of the old Port Mann Bridge just outside the city of Vancouver on Canada’s Pacific coast. A new 10-lane 2.2km Port Mann Bridge opened in 2012 (see box). It runs parallel to the o
    Read More
  • US safety concern
    April 24, 2012
    Concern has been raised at the risks faced by older drivers following the publication of a report produced jointly by research group TRIP and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The report reveals that older drivers are more likely to be killed in intersection crashes than young drivers. Data for 20120 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 37% of fatal accidents involving drivers aged 65 and over involved an intersection. B
    Read More

Highlighted Content