Red Light Cameras Have An Impact On Drivers

March 19 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

Many Canadian news outlets are reporting on a U.S. study that suggests that red light cameras installed in some Toronto intersections are having an effect. The cameras, which take pictures of drivers going through red lights, are accredited with a decrease in fatalities. As a result of the cameras, the study also suggests, intersections under surveillance are also experiencing an upshot in collisions as drivers brake suddenly to avoid garnering a ticket. I think all of this is actually good news.

The decrease in fatalities and the increase in smaller collisions are part and parcel. It’s simply a matter of humans growing accustomed to a new approach, a new mode of conduct. It proves that cameras at intersections are a great deterrent for unlawful and dangerous driving (which is also the reason why many CCTV cameras in Britain, while proving wholly ineffectual at preventing other types of crime, are being redirected to catch bad drivers.)

The reason why collisions rates are so high, I would suspect, is due to the limited implementation of such cameras across the city. With only some 40 cameras being rotated about the city, many drivers are only reacting to the cameras as they are spotted. Given this effect, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that should cameras be implemented on a permanent basis at every intersection in the city that the driving habits of Torontonian motorists could be altered for the better in the long-term.

CCTV cameras won’t necessarily increase security, but changing people’s habits through the use of cameras will.

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