WASHINGTON, DC (February 1, 2011) — Underscoring the Campaign’s core message, a new Insurance
Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) study found a 35 percent reduction in fatal red light running crashes in cities
with photo-enforced intersections during the years 2004-08. That 35 percent accounts for 159 lives saved
during this time period.
“Many studies have documented that photo enforcement reduces crashes and saves lives, but this is the first
study that demonstrates the cumulative safety benefit over time and across programs,” said Leslie Blakey,
executive director of the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running. “Since our Campaign began in 2001,
we’ve seen exponential growth in programs across the country and also noted the downward trend in fatalities
and injuries. We knew it had to be related and now there’s proof.”
IIHS examined accident data from the largest 99 U.S. cities, 48 of which without red light photo enforcement.
Although the number of deadly intersection crashes was reduced in cities with and without photo enforcement
during this five year span, cities with photo enforcement experienced an additional 24 percent reduction over
cities without photo enforcement.
The Campaign is pleased to see that IIHS included the victims of red light running to humanize the devastating
effects of aggressive driving. We know these victims all too well – for the past 10 years, the Campaign has
served as a support system to our membership. In doing so, it has become a voice for red light running victims, survivors and their families and friends, focusing on publicizing and preventing the kind of crashes that have had such a horrific impact on their lives.
Researchers estimate that an additional 656 lives could have been saved if those studied 48 cities without
photo enforcement had been using it during that five year time period. Nationally, red light running killed 676
people and injured an estimated 113,000 in 2009. In 2001, red light running claimed 880 lives, and caused an
additional 181,000 injuries according to the Department of Transportation Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s (FARS) statistics.
“Although photo enforcement saved an estimated 159 Americans during the course of IIHS’ study, the truly
staggering number is the 656 people who could have been saved by photo enforcement, but were not,” said
Campaign national spokesperson Ann Sweet. “I applaud IIHS for publishing this impactful study, and I hope
that it serves to educate decision makers and grow the number of lives photo enforcement saves annually.”
Since the Campaign’s inception, photo enforcement has experienced an exponential amount of growth, and
along with it, acquired a large number of skeptics. The IIHS study again confirms that when implemented as a
supplement to traditional law enforcement, along with sound engineering and public education, photo
enforcement is an effective tool in reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by red light running.
The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit national advocacy group guided by an independent advisory board that includes leaders from the fields of traffic safety, law enforcement, transportation engineering, health care and emergency medicine, as well as crash victims. More information on the Campaign can be found at www.stopredlightrunning.com.
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