Collisions Dramatically Reduced at Kansas City's Intersections With Red-Light Cameras

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Traffic fatalities in Kansas City, Mo., are at zero and dangerous collisions are down significantly at the 17 intersections equipped with red-light cameras from American Traffic Solutions, a new Police Department analysis shows. The report on camera effectiveness found red-light running crashes decreased 65% in the first year with cameras in use and 54% in the second year, providing new evidence in support of the positive change red-light cameras bring to a community.

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The crash reductions show the direct contribution cameras make to road safety because they reduce the most dangerous type of collision, the T-bone or angle crash which most often results in injury or death. Another indicator of improved safety on the streets is the steady decline in the number of citations issued since cameras became operational.

"Red light cameras are clearly working in Kansas City to modify driver's behavior when it comes to intersection safety," ATS President and CEO James Tuton said. "The most satisfying finding in the report is the sharp decline in collisions and injuries caused by crashes due to someone running a red light."

For the study, police reviewed more than 2,500 case reports, and presented results to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners. The three-year analysis compares crash and violation statistics from the first full year before each of the city's 29 cameras were installed with the two successive years since installation. The last camera became operational on Aug. 1, 2009. Since the cameras came online at different times, different starting points were used for each location.

Notable findings within the report include:

• At the intersection with the most collisions before cameras were installed, crashes decreased from nine to zero in the first year after installation to one in the second year, a decrease of 100% in year one and 89% in year two.
• Violations in the first year with cameras to the second decreased 33% from 68,777 to 45,793.
• From August 2009, when the program was fully deployed, through February 2012, every month has had fewer citations issued than the same month of the previous year.
• 92% of drivers receiving a citation did so only once; 99% only received two or less based on license plates. This low rate of repeat offenders suggests a change in driver behavior.
• Driver inattention and poor weather were the most frequent causes of rear-end crashes. Overall, police rejected 20 percent of all violations they reviewed for possible citation.

In 2011, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that two-thirds of the persons killed in red-light running collisions are not the offender. To see the dangers inherent to red-light running in Kansas City, the Police Department has posted videos of crash and near crash events from intersections drivers pass through every day. See the images at (http://www.kcmo.org/police/BoundaryMap/Traffic/index.htm).

About American Traffic Solutions:

ATS is proud to be the market leader in road safety camera installations in Missouri as well as North America. ATS has more than 3,000 installed red-light and speed safety cameras serving more than 30 million people. ATS has almost 175 cameras in close to 30 Missouri communities. ATS has contracts with nearly 300 communities nationwide in 21 states and Washington, D.C., including: Fort Worth, Kansas City, Memphis, Nassau County (N.Y.), New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle and St. Louis. ATS is a privately-owned, U.S. corporation. For more information, please visit: www.atsol.com.

Contact: Charles Territo
Title: Vice President of Communications
Phone: (480) 443-7000
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Traffic Solutions