• 03
  • September
    2011

As cities across the nation begin to question - and legislatures and municipal authorities reject - red-light ticket cameras at intersections, the Dayton Police Department in Ohio says that the cameras are working.

Data suggests that Dayton's red-light ticket cameras are reducing the number-one cause of death for people under the age of 35 in Ohio: car accidents.

"The biggest thing is it's a reduction in injuries and a reduction in property damage," Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl says, as WHIO Dayton reports.

Here are the numbers:

  • Car accidents at intersections with red-light ticket cameras are down by 40 percent
  • More than 20,000 drivers were caught running red lights in 2005; in 2011, less than 6,000

Spurred on by these positive findings, perhaps, WHIO Dayton reports that the city of Dayton will have more cameras installed at intersections and ready to go by October.

But not everyone believes in red-light ticket cameras. While they seem to be working to reduce the number of car wrecks in Dayton, some opponents believe they actually increase the number of accidents.

Take yellow lights, for example. If a driver is caught inside the intersection on a yellow light that turns red, the red-light camera might issue a ticket. Wary of this, drivers might slam on their brakes instead of proceeding through the intersection - when going through might've been the safer choice - leading to a rear-end accident.

Source: WHIO Dayton, "DPD: red light, speed cameras making roads safer," 08/31/11