Broward County Ticket Attorneys: The Dangers of Traffic Cameras in Florida
According to Broward County Ticket Attorneys, a recent study has shown that “red light cameras” being installed throughout the State of Florida are creating an increased risk of accidents and traffic related fatalities. Barbars Langland-Orband, chair at the USF College of Public Health states that individuals have been shown to “abruptly stop” at intersections equipped with cameras. She went on to say that the use of these cameras in Florida will lead to increased fatalities due to the fact that the state has a higher amount of elderly drivers who are more susceptible to lose their life in a traffic accident.
Even more startling is the fact that the U.S. House of Representatives had reported in as early as 2001 that cameras are associated with a significant increase in accidents. The report further stated that it is common for the timers on lights to be set in such a way as to increase the amount of tickets generated. Alternative means of improving traffic safety have been suggested by way of engineering improvements, such as the design of roads, signal visibility and an increase in amber length.
The USF College of Public Health suggests that when comparing the financial interest of the insurance industry with the effectiveness of camera implementation, we should be aware of the following:
States that were the first to implement cameras have reported an increase in traffic related injury which was directly attributed to the traffic camera program.
Traffic fatalities attributed to the running of red lights account for less than 4% of traffic fatalities in Florida.
Intersection related fatalities in Florida are 4 times more likely to be attributed to cases other than the running of a red light.
Injuries resulting from running red lights have declined by 33% in under a decade without the use of traffic cameras.
The Transportation Research Counsel has reported that cameras are directly linked to increased auto accident costs.
Major studies that have concluded that traffic cameras actually reduced auto accidents have been found to be linked to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and contained major “design research” flaws.
Insurance companies are the leading advocate of traffic light camera systems.*
For any questions about traffic camera systems in Florida, please contact, Anne-Marie Kopek, at William Moore, P.A.
