Ten Reasons Albuquerque City Council Members Should Vote to Keep Traffic Safety Cameras

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, June 08, 2011 (Press-News.org) As the Albuquerque City Council prepares to vote this evening on the future of the city's critical traffic safety camera program, the Traffic Safety Coalition is outlining 10 reasons why the program should stay:

1. Albuquerque cameras are reducing crashes and saving lives: Following safety camera installation, the Albuquerque Fire Department reported a 23 percent reduction in Level 1 trauma calls at intersections with safety cameras (City of Albuquerque, 2011).

2. Speeding and red light running will likely increase in Albuquerque if cameras are removed. Red light running and speeding increased by 584 percent after intersection safety cameras were turned off at three Albuquerque intersections just five months ago ("Scary stats with red light cameras off," KRQE News 7, 5/27/11).

3. Amber Gray. According to Albuquerque Police, Albuquerque resident Amber Gray has been caught 69 times running a red light, putting herself and others in danger on Albuquerque roads. The removal of safety cameras increases the likelihood more Amber Gray-type drivers will emerge ("Red light camera queen at it again," KRQE News 7, 2/19/11).

4. Albuquerque cyclists support the City's traffic safety camera program. "People get in the habit of seeing a yellow light and stopping instead of gunning it," said Jennifer Buntz, board member of Bike ABQ, who has ridden her bike on Albuquerque streets for 30 years. "It really will mess up people's lives long term when these crashes happen and we don't want that. We're not in favor of anything that's bad for motorists. We want safety for everybody." ("Cyclists speak on red light cameras," KRQE News 7, 6/5/11).

5. Red light running increased in Houston when cameras went dark. One month after intersection safety cameras were turned off in Houston, police cited a 36 percent increase in red light running within three months ("HPD: Red-light runners increase without cameras." KHOU News 11, 2/1/11).

6. Speeding increased in Scottsdale when cameras were turned off. When speed safety cameras were turned off on Scottsdale's State Loop 101, the number of drivers speeding increased 1,024 percent (Washington et al., "Evaluation of the City of Scottsdale Loop 101 Photo Enforcement Demonstration Program, Arizona State University." Nov 2007).

7. Red light running kills. 66 percent of all people killed at intersection crashes are victims of red light runners. The victims are innocent drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2011).

8. Deadly consequences of dangerous driving in New Mexico. In 2011, there were 87 traffic fatalities over a four month period on New Mexico roadways (New Mexico Traffic Fatality Analysis Report).

9. Safety cameras reduce fatal crashes nationwide. A 2011 report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded traffic safety cameras at the 14 largest U.S. cities using them reduced fatal red light running crashes by 24 percent (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2011).

10. Simply put, safety cameras reduce red light running and speeding, change driver behavior and save lives.

"It's a sad reality that when drivers are not held accountable for their actions, speeding and red light running increases dramatically as they ignore our traffic safety laws, putting everyone in danger," said Traffic Safety Coalition co-chairs Paul and Sue Oberhauser.

About the Traffic Safety Coalition:
The Traffic Safety Coalition is a not-for-profit, grassroots organization comprised of concerned citizens, traffic safety experts, law enforcement, public officials, victim's advocates, health care professionals, and industry leaders who are committed to working together to make our roads safer for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. We work with our partners throughout the country to promote technology and education that save lives and keep our roads safe. For more information, visit http://www.trafficsafetycoalition.com.