Traffic Cameras: More Harm Than Good

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Kerwyn D. Franklin English 22 April 2012 TRAFFIC CAMERAS: MORE HARM THAN GOOD No driver would want to be caught in that “flash” ever. Traffic cameras taking snapshots of “red-light beaters” are installed in more streets across the United States. Moreover, these cameras are getting more criticisms for causing more accidents and road problems because drivers tend to desperately take measures just to avoid being caught on film. Red-light cameras are designed to catch drivers who beat the red lights and put other motorists and pedestrians at risk. But debates have ensued due to the belief that this same technology is causing more harm than good (Blakely, 2003). The tendency is that some drivers would stop abruptly because they are thinking about the camera and this heightens the danger on the streets. This controversy seems to be a growing backlash on the red-light camera. More and more cities have voted out this technology. It is reported that at least nine states have altogether shunned the use of red-light cameras and more others are passing laws to stop enforcing them. Indeed there are also many evidences that lend support for the other side of the debate. A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that more at least a dozen large cities in the U.S. who have used this traffic cameras have saved about 160 lives in its four years of use. Similarly, this study claims that if a hundred of the country’s biggest cities use these cameras, more than 800 lives could have been saved (Persaud, 2005). On the other hand, statistics have proven that these traffic cameras have caused so many road accidents. A study conducted in 2005 showed that while there is a decrease of at least 16% from right and T-bone crashes at intersections with red-light cameras, there is a 24% increase in rear-end collisions. Some arguments over this

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