The Virginia Senate passed three bills that would facilitate the use of red-light camera, devices some say infringe on the rights of law breakers.
And now they have more ammunition: a study that shows the cameras cause more rear-end collisions at intersections.
Critics seized on the study’s finding that crashes involving injuries increased slightly after red-light cameras were installed at intersections.
In Fairfax County, 10 of 13 intersections studied showed an increase in crashes after the cameras were installed. Eight of those intersections experienced an increase in crashes with injuries.
On average, total annual crashes in the 13 intersections rose to 20 from 18, and crashes involving injuries increased to eight from 6.5.
Supporters of the cameras, however, said more research is needed to determine the relative severity of injuries with and without the cameras. Sen. William C. Mims, R-Loudoun, an advocate for the cameras, said injuries from rear-end crashes tend to be less severe than “T-bone” collisions commonly caused by red-light violators.
Sen. Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, R-Fairfax, argued that traffic safety can be bolstered by increasing the length of yellow lights at problem intersections, avoiding the upswing in rear-end crashes caused by cameras. “We’re trying to attack a problem the wrong way,” he said.
Constance Sorrell, chief of systems operations for VDOT, said the increase in crashes at intersections with cameras is no surprise. She said a similar pattern occurs when traffic lights are first installed at intersections.
There’s the answer: Let’s get rid of traffic lights altogether.
Two researchers, Forrest M. Council and Bhagwant Persaud, reach a more nuanced conclusion. They found that rear-endings had gone up nearly 15 percent after cameras were installed in seven cities, with injuries from such accidents up 24 percent. Right-angle crashes declined by 24 percent, with injuries down nearly 16 percent. Weighing the economic impact and severity of injuries, they found the overall effect positive.