Are red light camera programs saving lives? Officials and data disagree

RED LIGHT CAMERA PROGRAMS INSIST THAT THEY ARE SAVING LIVES AND REDUCING SERIOUS INJURIES. BUT WESH TWO INVESTIGATES HAS BEEN PORING THROUGH THE DATA TO FIND OUT IF CRASHES ARE REALLY GOING DOWN TOWN. TONIGHT, GREG FOX EXPLAINS WHY THOSE NUMBERS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY OF THIS TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM. NO ONE ARGUES THAT RED LIGHT RUNNING CAN BE DEADLY. EACH YEAR IN THE U.S., THERE ARE ROUGHLY 165,000 CRASHES, 1000 DEATHS AND 127,000 INJURIES WITHOUT ADJUDICATION. IT’S $158 FINE AND $33 COURT COSTS. SOME DRIVERS FIGHT THE $158 NOTICES OF VIOLATION IN COURT. MY GRANDDAUGHTER, MY GRANDSON GOT ALL THESE TICKETS. EVELYN MACK COULDN’T PROVE FAMILY MEMBERS RAN RED LIGHTS WITH HER CAR, THE WHITE ONE RIGHT THERE. SO SHE PAID THE FINES. WELL, TO ME IT IS JUST ABOUT MONEY. THEY SAVE LIVES. THEY ARE A SAFETY NET. MELISSA, WANDA’S HUSBAND MARK WAS KILLED IN A CRASH CAUSED BY A RED LIGHT RUNNER IN 2003, JUST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THEIR DAUGHTER, MADISON WAS BORN. THE DEVASTATING PIECE OF IT IS THAT MY DAUGHTER NEVER GOT TO MEET MY HUSBAND. HE NEVER GOT TO, YOU KNOW, PHYSICALLY HOLD HER. SHE PERSUADED LAWMAKERS TO PASS FLORIDA’S RED LIGHT CAMERA LAW. THE MARK WANDEL TRAFFIC SAFETY ACT, IN 2010. IF THIS BILL WAS NOT WORKING, I WOULD STRIP MY HUSBAND’S NAME OFF THIS BILL IN A SECOND. WESH TWO INVESTIGATES HAS BEEN REVIEWING THE STATE’S RED LIGHT RUNNING REPORTS FOR THE THREE MOST COMMON TYPES OF COLLISIONS REAR END RIGHT ANGLE AND SIDE SWIPE CRASHES ARE UP STATEWIDE, CRASHES AT INTERSECTIONS AFTER CAMERAS WERE INSTALLED WERE UP 3% LAST YEAR AND UP 11% IN 2022. IN ORLANDO, CRASHES WERE UP 12% LAST YEAR AND UP 9% THE YEAR BEFORE, AND ORANGE COUNTY SAW A 15% INCREASE LAST YEAR AND A 9% JUMP IN 2022. BUT ORLANDO AND ORANGE COUNTY RED LIGHT CAMERA MANAGERS TELL US THE STATE REPORTS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY. YES, THERE IS A REDUCTION IN SERIOUS CRASHES BECAUSE SOME OF THESE CRASHES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SIGNAL. CITIES AND COUNTIES ARGUE THAT THE REASON WHY IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE MORE CRASHES AT INTERSECTIONS IS BECAUSE THE STATE IS NOT JUST COUNTING CRASHES THAT HAPPEN AT THE CORNERS. THEY’RE COUNTING COLLISIONS THAT HAPPEN FARTHER AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF INTERSECTIONS, AND NOT JUST 100FT, BUT UP TO 250FT AWAY FROM THE INTERSECTIONS. THE STATE SAYS IT USES THE FDOT DEFINITION OF INTERSECTION TO HUNDRED AND 50FT FROM THE CENTER LINE OF THE INTERSECTION, BUT LOCAL RED LIGHT PROGRAM MANAGERS TELL ME THEY ANALYZE CRASHES. NO FARTHER THAN 100FT FROM THE INTERSECTIONS. THEY ALSO BLAME DISTRACTED DRIVING FOR CAUSING REAR END COLLISIONS LIKE THIS, NOT PEOPLE SLAMMING ON BRAKES TO AVOID RED LIGHT. CAMERA TICKETS. WHILE NEITHER ORLANDO NOR ORANGE COUNTY PROVIDED THEIR OWN DATA, THE STATE REPORTS DO SHOW FATAL AND INJURY CRASHES AT RED LIGHT CAMERA INTERSECTIONS ARE DOWN. THE FACT THAT FATALITIES WENT DOWN UM, TOTAL TOTAL PHYSICAL INJURIES WENT DOWN. IT’S A BIG DEAL. WE’RE ADDING MUCH MORE VOLUME TO OUR ROADS, BUT WE SEE THE ACCIDENT RATES DECREASING AT THE SAME TIME. SO I CONSIDER THAT A WIN. THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAY SAFETY HAS FOR FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS RECOMMENDED TO GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS MORE ACCURATE REPORTING ON THE RED LIGHT CAMERA PROGRAM, INCLUDING AN ANALYSIS CONDUCTED BY AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION WITH HER HUSBAND’S NAME ON THE RED LIGHT CAMERA LAW. MELISSA WANDELL IS DEMANDING IT. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. YOU KNOW YOU’RE DOING WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO. THE CAMERAS ARE DOING WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO. LET’S GET THE CORRECT REPORTING DOWN. GREG FOX WESH TWO NEWS. WESH TWO NEWS REACHED OUT TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE TO FIND OUT WHY AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF RED LIGHT CAMERAS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES H

Florida cities and counties that have red light camera programs insist they are saving lives and reducing serious injuries.Proving that idea is complicated, according to WESH 2 Investigates' review of available data. Certainly, no one argues that red light running can be deadly. Each year in the U.S., there are roughly 165,000 crashes, 1,000 deaths, and 127,000 injuries. The red light camera program in the state, launched in July 2010, was intended to reduce those numbers. Some drivers fight the $158 "Notices Of Violation" in court. WESH 2 Investigates observed a day of court hearings in Orange County court, where most drivers ended up paying the fines.Evelyn Mack claimed family members borrowed her car and ran red lights, getting notices of violation. She didn’t bring a required affidavit swearing to that assertion to court and ended up paying the fines.“Well to me, it's just about money,” Mack said afterward. Melissa Wandall vehemently disagrees.“The cameras save lives! They are a safety net,” Wandall said. Her husband Mark was killed in a crash caused by a red light runner on Oct. 24, 2003, in Bradenton — just two weeks before their daughter Madisyn was born.“The devastating piece of it is that my daughter never got to meet my husband, he never got to physically hold her,” she said. Wandall fought for six years and persuaded lawmakers to pass Florida's red light camera law, the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, in 2010.“If this bill was not working, I would strip my husband's name off this bill in a second,” Wandall said. WESH 2 Investigates has been reviewing the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) red light running reports. For the three most common types of collisions — rear end, right angle and side swipe — reports say crashes are up at intersections with red light cameras today, compared to the number of collisions before cameras were installed at those intersections. Statewide, crashes at intersections where cameras were installed were up 3% last year, and up 11% in 2022.In Orlando, crashes were up 12% last year, and up 9% the year before. Orange County saw a 15% increase last year, and a 9% jump in 2022.But as Orlando and Orange County red light camera program managers tell WESH 2, the state reports don’t tell the whole story.“Yes, there is a reduction in serious crashes,” Jerald Marks, Orange County traffic engineering project manager, said. Ray Rodriguez, operations manager for the "Orlando Stops" red light camera program said, “Some of these crashes have nothing to do with the signal.” Both of them and the managers of city and county red light camera programs argue that the reason it appears there are more crashes at intersections is because the state is not just counting crashes that happen at or near intersection corners. The state reports include collisions that happen more than 80 yards from intersections. A FLHSMV spokesperson told WESH 2 Investigates that the department uses "the FDOT definition of intersection... 250 feet from the centerline of the intersection."But local red light program managers tell us, they analyze crashes no farther than 100 feet from intersections, to determine if the cameras are helping to reduce crashes. They also blame distracted driving for causing most rear-end collisions, not people slamming on brakes to avoid red light camera tickets when they see the “photo enforced” signs or cameras along the curbs.While neither Orlando nor Orange County provided their own data to support their assertions of safety, the state reports do show "fatal" and "injury" crashes at red light camera intersections are down.“I mean, of course, we want to reduce all types of crashes, and that's the goal. The fact that fatalities went down, total physical injuries went down, it's a big deal,” Rodriguez said. “We're adding much more volume to our roads but we see the accident rates decreasing at the same time, so I consider that a win,” Marks said. WESH 2 Investigates' review of the state reports also reveals the Department of Highway Safety has, for five straight years, recommended to Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "more accurate reporting" on the red light camera program including an "analysis conducted by an independent organization."With her husband's name on the red light camera law, Wandall is demanding it.“We need to get better reporting because we need to stand behind these cities and counties and say enough is enough. You’re doing what you’re supposed to do. The cameras are doing what they’re supposed to do. Let’s get the correct reporting down,” Wandall said. WESH 2 Investigates has reached out to the governor's office several times in recent weeks to find out why an "independent analysis" of red light cameras and their effect on crashes has not been carried out. We'll update our report if and when we hear back.

Florida —

Florida cities and counties that have red light camera programs insist they are saving lives and reducing serious injuries.

Proving that idea is complicated, according to WESH 2 Investigates' review of available data.

Certainly, no one argues that red light running can be deadly. Each year in the U.S., there are roughly 165,000 crashes, 1,000 deaths, and 127,000 injuries. The red light camera program in the state, launched in July 2010, was intended to reduce those numbers.

Some drivers fight the $158 "Notices Of Violation" in court. WESH 2 Investigates observed a day of court hearings in Orange County court, where most drivers ended up paying the fines.

Evelyn Mack claimed family members borrowed her car and ran red lights, getting notices of violation. She didn’t bring a required affidavit swearing to that assertion to court and ended up paying the fines.

“Well to me, it's just about money,” Mack said afterward.

Melissa Wandall vehemently disagrees.

“The cameras save lives! They are a safety net,” Wandall said.

Her husband Mark was killed in a crash caused by a red light runner on Oct. 24, 2003, in Bradenton — just two weeks before their daughter Madisyn was born.

“The devastating piece of it is that my daughter never got to meet my husband, he never got to physically hold her,” she said.

Wandall fought for six years and persuaded lawmakers to pass Florida's red light camera law, the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, in 2010.

“If this bill was not working, I would strip my husband's name off this bill in a second,” Wandall said.

WESH 2 Investigates has been reviewing the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) red light running reports. For the three most common types of collisions — rear end, right angle and side swipe — reports say crashes are up at intersections with red light cameras today, compared to the number of collisions before cameras were installed at those intersections.

Statewide, crashes at intersections where cameras were installed were up 3% last year, and up 11% in 2022.

In Orlando, crashes were up 12% last year, and up 9% the year before. Orange County saw a 15% increase last year, and a 9% jump in 2022.

But as Orlando and Orange County red light camera program managers tell WESH 2, the state reports don’t tell the whole story.

“Yes, there is a reduction in serious crashes,” Jerald Marks, Orange County traffic engineering project manager, said.

Ray Rodriguez, operations manager for the "Orlando Stops" red light camera program said, “Some of these crashes have nothing to do with the signal.”

Both of them and the managers of city and county red light camera programs argue that the reason it appears there are more crashes at intersections is because the state is not just counting crashes that happen at or near intersection corners. The state reports include collisions that happen more than 80 yards from intersections.

A FLHSMV spokesperson told WESH 2 Investigates that the department uses "the FDOT definition of intersection... 250 feet from the centerline of the intersection."

But local red light program managers tell us, they analyze crashes no farther than 100 feet from intersections, to determine if the cameras are helping to reduce crashes.

They also blame distracted driving for causing most rear-end collisions, not people slamming on brakes to avoid red light camera tickets when they see the “photo enforced” signs or cameras along the curbs.

While neither Orlando nor Orange County provided their own data to support their assertions of safety, the state reports do show "fatal" and "injury" crashes at red light camera intersections are down.

“I mean, of course, we want to reduce all types of crashes, and that's the goal. The fact that fatalities went down, total physical injuries went down, it's a big deal,” Rodriguez said.

“We're adding much more volume to our roads but we see the accident rates decreasing at the same time, so I consider that a win,” Marks said.

WESH 2 Investigates' review of the state reports also reveals the Department of Highway Safety has, for five straight years, recommended to Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "more accurate reporting" on the red light camera program including an "analysis conducted by an independent organization."

With her husband's name on the red light camera law, Wandall is demanding it.

“We need to get better reporting because we need to stand behind these cities and counties and say enough is enough. You’re doing what you’re supposed to do. The cameras are doing what they’re supposed to do. Let’s get the correct reporting down,” Wandall said.

WESH 2 Investigates has reached out to the governor's office several times in recent weeks to find out why an "independent analysis" of red light cameras and their effect on crashes has not been carried out.

We'll update our report if and when we hear back.

Are red light camera programs saving lives? Officials and data disagree

Share

Share

Share

Top Picks