Expand red-light safety cameras
As we head into the new year, decision makers in Missouri will address the future of intersection safety cameras, also known as red-light cameras. There are a few key facts that they need to keep in mind before making any decisions.
First, these cameras are reducing crashes, saving lives, and preventing serious injuries. An independent investigation published by The Kansas City Star in 2010 found that at the first 13 intersections where Kansas City installed cameras, red-light running crashes were down 67 percent; injury wrecks were down 42 percent; rear-end wrecks were down 20 percent; and total wrecks were down 26 percent.
Meanwhile, wrecks were up overall city-wide during the period examined by The Star. Kansas City Police Chief Jim Corwin told The Star: “As a driver myself, I know I’m paying more attention. I think a lot of people are paying more attention, so those figures don’t surprise me.”
Second, intersection safety cameras are not only changing driver behavior for the better in Kansas City, but across Missouri. In St. Louis a recent study showed that red-light running violations were down 80 percent where the city had installed cameras at its most dangerous intersections.
In Columbia a recent study found the number of red-light running crashes at a major intersection near the University of Missouri was cut in half from 2009 to 2010.
Third, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2009 there were 18 red-light running fatalities in Missouri, making Missouri one of the 11 most deadly states for red light-related collisions. Victims and survivors of red-light running crashes have vivid stories to tell about the devastation caused by those who disregard traffic safety rules and endanger Missouri families. These alarming numbers show that now is not the time to curtail the use of red-light cameras, but to expand the current system.
I am confident that intersection safety cameras save lives and change driver behavior, consistent with due process. I served as chairman of the 2006 Traffic Safety Task Force, named by former Mayor Kay Barnes, which held public hearings throughout the city. We found significant public support for the use of cameras to assist the police in enforcing traffic laws.
The ordinance passed by the Kansas City Council authorized red-light cameras under a system where violations are classified as non-moving, no-points violations and where all videos of potential infractions are reviewed by police officers before citations are issued. I believe the public supports this program now more than ever, given the positive results they bring to our streets.
I hope that the Missouri Department of Transportation and the General Assembly will consider these important facts before making any decisions regarding the future of intersection safety cameras. As the experts on local traffic safety, our police officers should continue to have this enforcement tool available to them in their efforts to protect the public.
Karl Zobrist, of Kansas City, is a former president of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, on which he served from 2000 to 2010.
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