Red Light Cameras Fail to Decrease Spokane Auto Accidents | Seattle Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Lawyer

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Have you been noticing more and more of those bright flashes that go off as you are sitting at an intersection? Well as you most likely know, that flash was taking a picture of the car and license plate of the individual who just ran a red light. While a lot of people think this is just another way for us the government make money at our expense, these programs also have the intention of helping reduce traffic accidents. However, in Spokane, Washington studies show that the number of traffic accidents has actually increased since the cameras were installed.

The city of Spokane installed cameras at three intersections as a part of this program. In 2008 there were 32 accidents at those intersections and in 2009 the number increased to 38. While this data is interesting, and certainly counter-intuitive, there is not enough data to make any judgments or conclusions yet. Traffic accidents are caused by many different factors and a one year sample size is not large enough to draw any meaningful conclusions. The use of cameras to prevent the running of red lights has become a popular trend in the United States as supporters say they reduce the number of injuries and crashes caused by running red lights without having to increase patrol or hiring more officers. The cameras have also been noted to help catch cars that flee from the scene of a crash as well as determine who was at fault in liability claims involving automobile accidents.

Another interesting finding from the study involved what type of car accidents are occurring at these intersections. Because vehicles are running red lights less, T-bone crashes are less likely to occur. However, because individuals may force themselves to slam on their brakes at the last minute in order to avoid being caught by a camera, the number of rear-end incidents will potentially increase as the following car must now also be prepared to quickly stop.

Hopefully cameras like these really will make our roads safer across the country. Yet whether you are approaching an intersection with a traffic camera or not, it is essential that you always obey traffic lights as ignoring them will put yourself, the people in your vehicle, and other cars on the road in danger.

This information is provided by www.straighttalklaw.com, where you can order free books on Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Jason Epstein and his law practice in Seattle, Washington.

One Response to “Red Light Cameras Fail to Decrease Spokane Auto Accidents | Seattle Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Lawyer”

Wayne Says:
January 13th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
In response to the article about the increase in, “car accidents”, I have two comments.
First, I think that using the word, “accident”, to describe a, “Car Wreck”, is just plain wrong.
There are no, “accidents”, there are only, “Preventable Occurrences”, or, “Collisions”, or perhaps the most accurate, “Car Wreck”.
The description of the need to have these cameras in place identifies the fundamental differences that underlie the difference between an, “accident” and a, “wreck”.
The collisions that occur in said intersections are happening because people are ignoring the traffic laws that exist to protect us from each other.
People involved in creating a wreck at any intersection are making a DECISION to act outside the Law. This creates something that is NOT an accident.
Citing these incidents as, “accidents”, only helps perpetuate the wrongheaded notion that a car wreck was instead, “just a boo-boo”, an accident. I think that it is not only inaccurate to label car wrecks as, “accidents”, it is also ethically and morally wrong.
Gosh if these incidents are just accidents then no one is to blame!
Why do so many people continue to provide this ridiculous notion?
There would be no grounds for issuing a ticket, bringing someone to court or assigning blame if these things were really, “accidents”.
STOP DOING THIS!!
Secondly there is the mention in the article of panic braking, stopping suddenly for a traffic control at an intersection being the cause of a rear end collision.
How can this be so? If the individual following a car that panic brakes is close enough that they cannot react to the situation then THEY ARE TAILGATING!!
Tailgating is against the law and is one of the highest reasons for collision behind (no pun intended) drunk driving and distracted driving.
If people followed the laws regarding following distances there would BE nearly no rear-end collisions. There would also not be the kind of traffic tie-ups that occur during, “rush hour”.
People tailgating do not just cause rear end collisions they also prohibit safe lane changes, merging into traffic and a whole host of problems.
Folks, we need to wake up and realize that getting into an automobile is the single MOST dangerous thing that most of us do on a daily basis but our American Culture has a HUGE blind spot hindering our ability to accurately view the activity.
I will close with the following. During the time that we, the U.S.A. have been prosecuting war against Iraq and Afghanistan, how many U.S. Forces have we lost?
During this time, how many Americans have died on roadways because of someone’s not following the rules that we ALL must know to be able to have a driver’s license.
I think there should be a written and performance test required every 2 years for every driver coupled with a driving simulator test that includes a simulation of being on the back of a motorcycle (as the operator) and behind the wheel of a Semi-truck.
Perhaps a regular program of understanding the fundamentals of driving along with a view into other modes of transportation that pepper our roadways might reduce the number of casualties that are happening across the nation with, what should be, alarming frequency.
VERY Sincerely,
Wayne K.