Red light cameras

Red light cameras (RLCs) are one of several possible countermeasures against red light running. Red light running is a risky traffic violation since it is associated with very serious, high injury crashes. Besides red light cameras, other countermeasures may include improving the driver’s view of the intersection, converting intersection to roundabout, producing a raised intersection or improving the traffic signal phasing. A 2013 meta-analysis indicated that RLCs decrease right-angle injury collisions by 33%, but at the same time increase injury rear-end collisions by 19%. Several North-American studies after the meta-analysis, one European study and one Korean study, have confirmed that RLCs reduce right-angle crashes, but at the same time increase rear-end crashes and other types of crashes. Since rear-end crashes are often associated with less severe injury than right-angle crashes, it may be assumed that the net effect on road safety is positive. RLCs have been found to achieve larger road safety effects when red light violations are deliberate, when intersections have a high proportion of right-angle crashes and a lower proportion of rear-end crashes, when cameras are signposted, and when cameras are in continuous operation rather than rotational.