Speed Cameras, Life Savers or Money Makers

According to a landmark study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arizona leads the nation in red light running crashes and fatalities. Current data show a marked decrease in the number of accidents and deaths from motorists running red lights since the addition of red light cameras in 14 dangerous intersections a few years ago,

That of course is good news. While there was very minor opposition to cameras being installed to prevent red light running, the situation is very different with the addition of over 100 speed cameras and 40 odd mobile vans on Arizona highways snapping pictures of drivers going 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. So now there is a battle raging in Phoenix Arizona about the use of those cameras and this is one battle that isn’t close to being over.

The battle lines are simple. One side says that the cameras save lives by slowing traffic down and the other side says they actually cause problems because people speed until they see the signs for the cameras then slam on the brakes which of course can cause accidents. Like most arguments I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.

American Traffic Solutions, the company that sells the system, commissioned a polling firm, Public Opinion Strategies, to do a survey. Five hundred registered voters in Arizona were asked their opinions on Jan. 13 and 14 and the results according to POS showed that 84 percent of voters surveyed said city police departments should continue using red-light cameras. There was less support, but still firm majorities, for speed cameras run by cities and counties (69 percent) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (63 percent). POS said the poll's margin of error is 4.38 percent.

Something to keep in mind is that cars are so much safer today then even 10 years ago, and highways are also much better and safer. While people who drive slow say that speed kills, the fact is that speed in and of itself doesn’t kill. Let’s acknowledge that driving 100 miles an hour on city freeways is dangerous not to mention stupid, but driving 75 miles an hour in a 55 mile an hour zone is not as long as people driving slower stay to the right which by the way is what they’re supposed to do.

Where problems happen is in the variance of speeds because some people seem to feel that if the posted speed is 55 mph they can do 55 mph in any lane they want. Unfortunately that usually means they park in the center lane where they mosey along not worrying about the traffic behind them. That in turn causes people to have to change lanes to get around them, and we all know changing lanes on freeways can be dangerous.

Back to the survey numbers for just a minute; I don’t know anyone that argues that red light cameras are a bad idea. But let’s look at the numbers for speed cameras. Over 60 per cent feel they’re a good idea but here’s an interesting statistic about the survey. The demographic groups with the highest levels of support for the DPS program are not surprisingly, older voters and women. Younger voters, particularly men, are more likely to oppose the program.

So the question is, do the speed cameras save lives or are they cash cows for a strapped city. Here’s what we’ve been told so far. Recent numbers bandied about from DPS about lives saved since the cameras were installed have talked about reductions in crashes saving 3 or 4 lives a month. Here’s what wasn’t mentioned. Over the last 12 months there have been some 12 billion fewer miles driven by motorists which is roughly 5.6 percent and will certainly have a direct affect on the number of traffic fatalities. Here’s the kicker though. Some estimates say the Arizona will make as much as 175 million in 2009 from speed cameras.

So, do speed cameras save lives, or make money, or maybe both?