Category Archives: Red Light Cameras

Illinois Dept. Of Transportation Lists Chicago 20 Most Dangerous Intersections

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The Chicago Tribune recently
published an article regarding Illinois Department of Transportation’s list of
the 20 most dangerous intersections in the Chicago metro area. That list can be
viewed here.  

The obvious theme at all of these
intersections is clear: The more traffic at each of these intersection equates
to more traffic accidents. The question remains as to what can be done to
improve the safety at each of these intersections. There doesn’t seem to be a
clear consensus by experts or lawmaker.  “There’s a whole host of factors
that need to be studied before any changes can be made,” , Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman
Guy Tridgell . “If you’re adding existing controls or signals
at one intersection, you could see negative impacts elsewhere.”

“The No. 1 thing a motorist can do is obey the speed limit,
traffic signs and signals and just always be aware of the presence and
vulnerability of pedestrians and cyclists, everywhere in the city,” said
Amanda Woodall, policy expert with the Active Transportation Alliance.

In 2007, red light cameras were installed to help make the
intersections safer. As I have discussed on this blog in the past, there are
mixed reviews on the red light cameras.  The city of Chicago has claimed
that car accidents are down on areas where the cameras have been installed.
Independent studies have said the opposite. Their studies conclude that
intersection with red light cameras are actually more dangerous than before.

At least the data is available and the department of
transportation can study what is making these specific intersections more
dangerous than others (other than the heavy volume of traffic). Hopefully
positive changes can be made.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Chicago caraccident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney,
Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm
website at www.blgchicago.com.

Another Study Shows Red Light Cameras Are Not Working In Chicago

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My Fox Chicago released a report about a new study that showed that red light cameras in Chicago may still not be deterring car accidents.

Despite press releases by the Chicago Department of Transportation touting the safety of these cameras, a new study prepared by the University of Illinois Chicago, says that the exact opposite has been happening.  Assistant Professor Rajiv Shah compared the total number of accidents the year before the cameras were installed and the year after. What surprised him most is that car accidents have declined city-wide, except at red-light intersections.  “The clearest thing is the red light cameras have not changed driving behavior in any significant pattern,” he said.

Brian Steele with the Chicago Department of Transportation argues Shah’s numbers are misleading. He claims IDOT’s numbers are disproportionately high because the state considers any crash within 250 feet of the traffic light to be an intersection accident.”There is no question that in the city of Chicago, drivers are safe because of red-light enforcement,” Steele said.

I am not convinced by the comments by the city. I think it is time for the city to wipe the egg off their face and admit that the red light cameras not only do not prevent accidents,  but they are actually making intersections more dangerous.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident , then call Chicago accident attorney  Aaron Bryant for a free consultation  at 312-588-3384 or go to firm website at www.BLGCHICAGO.com

Red Light Camera Tickets Being Dismissed For Chicago Employees

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I have written about the controversy of red light cameras in the past. There have been mixed reviews on their effectiveness. I have received one of these tickets and I have had numerous clients call me about taking care of these traffic violations. Unfortunately there is not a lot anyone or an attorney can do as they are a non-moving violation.  Although, one can request an administrative hearing to challenge the ticket. This is an uphill battle as they are facing videotaped and photographed evidence of the violation.

Now more controversy surrounds the red light cameras in Chicago. The Chicago Sun Times reports that a large portion of red light camera tickets issued to city employees have been dismissed.

Since January 2007, 2,685 red-light-camera tickets have been issued to vehicles registered to city departments. At $100 a pop, that should have generated $268,500. Instead, only $77,167 has been collected.

1,830 of those tickets were dismissed for reasons that include the municipal code exemption for emergency vehicles. Not all of those vehicles were responding to emergencies with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Some police vehicles were working undercover. Some were vehicles assigned to city departments not typically considered emergency departments.

I would like to see a better breakdown as to why some of these tickets are being dismissed. Click here to read the entire Sun Times article.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago Accident attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.

Chicago Area Police Departments Endorse Red Light Camera

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I have written about the effectiveness of red light cameras here and here. Studies to date have shown mixed results as to their effectiveness.

In a March 12 letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, fourteen Chicago area police chiefs endorsed the use of red light cameras in their towns’ intersections.  The letter points to a number of statistics in supporting their cause for these types of cameras. Specifically they cite  recent U.S. Federal Highway Administration study also found red-light camera intersections to have shown a 24.7% decrease nationwide in “right-angle”  car crashes or “broadside”  auto collisions which are particularly dangerous.

The police chiefs also argued that the cameras helped apprehend a “hit and run” suspect in Chicago. It is clear where local police departments stand on this issue. I would like to see more studies performed before making a determination.

To read the complete letter, click here.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.

Red Light Cameras Working In Other Cities

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I previously wrote about the effectiveness of red light cameras in Chicago. Car accident statistics for some Chicago intersections that had red light cameras actually showed an increase in car crashes.

My hometown of Kansas City, Missouri is actually showing a decrease car crashes around their city in intersections that contain red light cameras.  The Kansas City Star reported recently that  car wrecks overall declined 26 percent. Injury wrecks fell by 42 percent. And wrecks caused by drivers running red lights plunged 67 percent. Those declines contrast with a slight increase in wrecks citywide during that same time period.

“As a driver myself, I know I’m paying more attention,” said KC Police Chief Jim Corwin. “I think a lot of people are paying more attention, so those figures don’t surprise me.”

“I’m glad to hear it’s making a difference,” said Councilwoman Cathy Jolly, a proponent of the camera system. “This is why we did it.”

Nationwide, studies of crashes at camera-monitored intersections have reported mixed results.

Large studies from Virginia and North Carolina reported crash numbers grew after cameras were installed. Other studies, including ones in Dallas and California, cited a reduction in crashes.

Beth Ebel, director of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center in Seattle, said many studies generally have found a decrease in right-angle or T-bone crashes but an increase in rear-end crashes.

To read the complete article, click here. It will be interesting to see how the intersections with red light cameras in Chicago fare in the next few  years. As mentioned above, experts who have studied this issue believe it could take up to three (3) years to determine their effectiveness.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.

Are Red Light Cameras Deterring Car Accidents?

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The Chicago Tribune recently reported that car accident statistics are showing an increase in vehicle collisions at intersections that contain red light cameras. 

There were 28 Car accidents and truck accidents at Western Avenue and 63rd Street in 2006, the year before the Daley administration installed red-light cameras there in the name of safety. In 2008, the year after cameras went in, accidents at the Southwest Side intersection soared to 42, according to state data.

Car Crash totals for the year before and the year after the cameras arrived shows 18 intersections recorded a significant drop in accidents with cameras. Twenty intersections had a significant increase in car accidents, while nine had relatively little change.

Based on state statistics, nearly 60 percent of intersection with red light cameras did not decrease the amount of car accidents in that area.

The safety benefits of red-light cameras are indisputable when placed at truly dangerous intersections, said Timothy Neuman, chief highway engineer for CH2M Hill, one of the nation’s largest engineering consulting firms. But Neuman acknowledged that drivers have grown skeptical because cameras in many communities seem to be proliferating at marginal locations.

“The trick is where you put them,” Neumann explained. “It frustrates traffic engineers like myself if and when it’s misused.”

Indeed state data shows that car accidents have fallen, sometimes dramatically, at some dangerous city intersections after the installation of cameras. In 2006 there were 141 car accidents at South Chicago Avenue and Stony Island Drive, a very complicated South Side intersection. Cameras were installed in mid-2007 and car accidents that year dropped to 123. By 2008 the total fell again to 101.

More typical, though, is the situation at Western and North avenues, where cameras were installed in late 2007. In 2006 the year before the camera went in, the intersection was the scene of 34 accidents. In 2008, the year after installation, there were 40 accidents, including six broadside collisions – considered the most dangerous type of intersection crash. There were no broadside crashes at that intersection in 2006.

To read the complete article, click here.

I think this article and the supporting statistics raise some interesting questions about the effectiveness of red light cameras. I have received numerous phone calls from clients who have been ticketed with red light violations. Unfortunately, these tickets cannot be amended or dismissed as they are not viewed as moving violations. The jury is still out as to whether the cameras are actually decreasing car accidents.

If you or someone you know has een involved in an Illinois car accident or Illinois truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for free consultation at 312-588-3384.