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Red Light Camera Facts

Speed Camera Facts

Photo-Enforcement Point-Counterpoint

 

Speed Camera Facts

Speed cameras are used in more than 40 U.S. communities as part of police efforts to improve traffic safety. In 2007, speeding was a factor in 32% of motor vehicle crash deaths in the U.S. and has been a factor in about one-third of crash deaths since 1998 (U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System).

Below are some examples of the safety impact of speed cameras.

  • In New Orleans, LA, speed cameras led to an 84% drop in speeding (New Orleans press release, 2.20.09). Click here for press release.


  • Six months after implementation of speed cameras on residential streets and school zones in Montgomery County, Maryland, in 2007, the proportion of drivers exceeding speed limits by more than 10 mph declined by about 70 percent. (Evaluation of automated speed enforcement in Montgomery County, MD, Retting et al, 2008). Click here for report.


  • A 2005 review analyzed data from 14 studies and found crash reductions in the immediate vicinities of speed camera sites ranged from 5 to 69 percent for all crashes, 12 to 65 percent for injury crashes, and 17 to 71 percent for fatal crashes ("Effectiveness of speed cameras in preventing road traffic collisions and related casualties: systematic review," Pilkington, Kinra). Click here for report.


  • A 2006 review by the Cochrane Collaboration analyzed data from 21 speed camera studies and found reductions ranging from 14 to 72 percent for all crashes, 8 to 46 percent for injury crashes, and 40 to 45 percent for crashes involving fatalities and serious injuries ("Speed enforcement detection devices for preventing road traffic injuries"). Click here for report.


  • A 2007 NHTSA-sponsored review of 13 published studies reported injury crash reductions of 20 to 25 percent for fixed speed cameras and 21 to 51 percent for mobile speed camera programs (Automated enforcement: a compendium of worldwide evaluations of results, Decina et al). Click here for report.


  • In the District of Columbia, almost 1 in 3 motorists were found to be speeding aggressively (defined by police as traveling above the threshold speed established for the program) at the beginning of the speed camera program in 2001. During September 2006, the number dropped to less than 1 in 58 ("Statistics on Photo Radar," DC Metropolitan Police Department, 2006). Click here for report.


  • Implementation of a 9-month pilot program using fixed speed cameras on a busy urban freeway in Scottsdale, AZ, in 2006 was associated with up to a 95 percent decrease in the odds that drivers would travel more than 10 mph above the posted 65 mph speed limit ("Evaluation of automated speed enforcement on Loop 101 freeway in Scottsdale, Arizona," Retting et al, 2008). Click here for report.


  • A study of the same fixed speed-enforcement program in Scottsdale, AZ, found that the speed camera program led to lower speeds, safer drivers, shorter drive times and economic savings. Average speeds were reduced by about 9 mph following the installation of six cameras on the Loop 101 freeway, total crashes were reduced by 44% to 54% and injury crashes decreased by 28% to 48% ("Evaluation of the City of Scottsdale Loop 101 Photo Enforcement Demonstration Program," Washington et al, 2007). Click here for report.

  • A study of speed cameras in 10 school zones in New South Wales, Australia, found overall reductions in traffic speeds not only in the school zones but also on the roads approaching the school zones (Evaluation of Speed Cameras in 40 km/h School Speed Zones, Roper, 2005). Click here for report.