IIHS Research Finds Red Light Cameras Do Save Lives

Red light camera programs in 79 large U.S. cities saved nearly 1,300 lives through 2014, researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have found. Shutting down such programs has cost lives, with the rate of fatal red-light-running crashes shooting up 30 percent in cities that have turned off cameras. "Red light cameras are valuable enforcement tools that prevent many dangerous intersection crashes," says IIHS President Adrian Lund, who will present the new research Thursday at a forum on red light cameras hosted by the Institute. "This study confirms that cameras reduce fatal crashes and for the first time quantifies the effect that ending these programs has on safety."