Preliminary Study Suggests Effectiveness of Red Light Cameras

The Virginian-Pilot has been monitoring the effectiveness of the red-light cameras that were installed at 13 intersections throughout Virginia Beach and have come to some positive conclusions regarding the project. The local paper’s study and analysis revealed that the number of motor vehicle crashes have decreased by 24 percent since the cameras have been installed.

According to the report, the intersection at Virginia Beach Boulevard and Great Neck Road saw the greatest amount of improvement with collisions falling 82 percent since 2008. It appears that people who are aware of the red-light camera program are choosing to stop and yellow and red lights rather than risk receiving a fine in the mail for violating the traffic laws.

An interesting feature that was discovered in the study was that the majority of the collisions that did occur at the camera monitored intersections were rear-end collisions rather than side impact collisions. While rear-end collisions have the potential to cause serious injuries, they are less likely to produce fatalities than side impact collisions.

Local authorities are not ready to concede that the installation of the red-light cameras has made a significant positive impact on the community. Since they have only been in place since 2009, it may be too early to produce an accurate conclusion regarding the effectiveness of the cameras. However, preliminary statistics appear to suggest that the program is reducing the number of accidents and fatalities in the Virginia Beach community.