Yet Another Study: Red Light Cameras Are Dangerous
from the not-helping dept
Bob Dole writes "How many studies showing that red light cameras increase accidents does it take? Yet another study, this one from Ontario, Canada, represents the fourth major report concluding that there's an increase, not decrease in accidents where the technology is used. The control group in this study outperformed the camera intersections in every single category. Overall, fatal and injury rear-end collisions jumped 5%. In other words, red light cameras can kill. It's about time that the cameras are recognized for what they are -- a money-making scam. "
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Main effect or interaction effect?
Was the experiment designed of having a camera vs. having a police officer at the intersection?
What about having both of them? I bet it will work better.
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Re: Red Light Cameras, use proper yellow timing
If the cities would follow 3M's recomendations on yellow light and guard times and forget about the cameras, things would be safer.
People fear that the red light cameras will ticket them for entering the intersection on a yellow, so they slam on their breaks causeing them to get rear-ended by the guy tail-gateing them so the light sensor won't change the light too soon. A yellow light needs to be long enought to allow for safe stopping distances. I have no problem with red light cameras issuing tickets for red light runners when the yellow is properly timed.
Cities like Detroit and Louisville have all of their lights timed such that as long as you are travelling the correct speed, you only get stopped by a red light at the first intersection after turning.
On a side note: I seen a ticket issued to a guy in a school zone the other day. The light had not started flashing yet when we entered the school zone, but I knew that it was time for it to starte flashing. The officer was at the opposite end and issued the guy the ticket because he could see the light start flashing on his end. I suggest that school zone flashing lights should also have a light visible from the opposite direction, it seems that this would also help enforcement. I always wonder if the light or my watch are out of sync, or if it is a school holiday when I go through a zone and see that the posted time and the light is not flashing. Since I travel four counties each day I cannot know if school in the other counties is out or not and wind up pissing other drivers off because I slow in a school zone that is not flashing even though it is the correct time for it to be flashing.
Some kind of yellow like indication that the school zone is about to be in effect, and all clear signals in addition to the school zone is now in effect.
Exo
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Re: Main effect or interaction effect?
.. and if you put a TANK nearby, I bet it'll have an even more dramatic effect than the cop. You're jus tproving the point, Dorpus, but you cant see it.
Day like any other.
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Red light cammers
Hmmm! So if I want to drive in an unsafe maner (following to closely) the government should do everything that it can to make sure that I don't have an accident? It has to be someone elses fault when something happens, doesn't it? And when the kid runs out into the road and the guy hugging your bumper crahes into you, the kid is at fault.
Nope, don't think I wil buy that.
Mike
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