Virginia Gov't Admits Traffic Cameras Increase Accidents
from the whooops dept
Bob Dole writes "Although less than 4 percent of traffic accidents are caused by red light running, cities and the insurance industry insist there is an urgent need for automated camera enforcement for safety purposes. Yet according to a a new study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council, Virginia experienced a "definite" increase in overall injury accidents where cameras were used. In the county with the most accurate data, that increase was between 7 and 24 percent. The report suggests there is a "possible" decrease in angle accidents. So camera boosters are now relegated to claiming cameras merely rearrange accidents, trading one type of crash for another. There's no escaping the bottom line, however. With cameras you get more injuries, not more safety. The report offers good news for Virginia motorists: you can ignore tickets mailed to your home. They aren't valid unless personally served." We wrote about some other studies concerning red light cameras recently as well.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Outlaw Agenda
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
1) Hire shyster
2) Argue that if the camera wasn't there, the accident wouldn't have happened
3) Point to the state's own statistics showing rear-end accidents went UP after the camera was installed
4) Explain to a jury that doesn't like the damn things how the state KNEW accidents would go up, but didn't take the camera's out.
5) Give the attorney 30% of the $50 million verdict.
6) Move to Monaco
7) Get three blonde girlfriends.
8) Party like it's 1999.
Game over baby.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Outlaw Agenda
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
1) Abruptly stop
2) Comb hair
3) Straighten clothing
4) Put on makeup (if needed)
5) Get green stuff out of teeth from lunch
6) Pose
But it is #1 that usually get you.
[ link to this | view in thread ]