Turns out red light cameras decrease accidents & lose money—will you hate them any less?
Traffic cameras might not make as much money as people think.
The conventional wisdom for years on red light cameras was that they were revenue-generating machines, capturing an endless volume of careless drivers either blowing through red lights or slowly rolling through right turns on red lights. Additionally, the thought was that the cameras were responsible for increasing the number of collisions as drivers slammed on the breaks to avoid going into intersections on yellow or red lights. In the case of L.A. it might turn out that all of the conventional wisdom is hot air: The photo enforcement program, which catches tens of thousands of violators annually, appears to be barely breaking even, just covering the expense of installing and operating the cameras. Meanwhile the LAPD has concluded that red light cameras help reduce accidents at the intersections in which they’re used. If the cameras are increasing safety and not raking in the ticket revenue that everyone feared, would you still hate them?
Guests:
Dennis Zine, L.A. City Councilman representing the 3rd District
Russ Rader, communications director at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- Patt Morrison for March 29, 2010
- Mayor Villaraigosa has his hands full—DWP, budget crisis, census, and you!
- Turns out red light cameras decrease accidents & lose money—will you hate them any less?
- States say “NO!” – sue Uncle Sam over healthcare reform bill
- Medical parole could save California hundreds of millions of dollars
- Trigger for food addiction and drug addiction the same
Also on this episode
Events
Comedy Congress Live
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
7:30 p.m.
- 9 p.m.
The comedic material emanating from Washington D.C., and state capitols across the country, is enough to make any sitcom writer jealous, even if most of that comedy is unintentional. Our motto on Comedy Congress is that just when politics makes you want to cry, it’s usually best to laugh.
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