About.com blogger Charles Montaldo has compiled some statistics and information that once again demonstrate the questionable effectiveness of red light cameras. His research demonstrates that red light cameras have a negligible effect on red light running, but instead increase minor vehicle accidents caused by hard braking in advance of the automatically enforced intersection. He also points out that the IIHS, the Insurance Industry’s research arm, is the leading source of statistics that support the use of red light cameras, and that red light cameras amount to nothing more than a push from the industry to trap drivers in higher premiums through increased crash and citation data.

WSYR 9 is reporting that some temporary traffic lights in the city of Syracuse, NY are so poorly placed that they are actually causing accidents.  The issue seems to stem from the fact that other lights are placed above the intersection at other junctions, but the temporary lights are mounted to the side, on poles.  The temporary light poles were erected to replace the previous light poles, which were so deteriorated that they came crashing down a few months ago.

After the European Union created a law requiring drivers to carry a safety vest in their car at all times, Warntex Inc. became one of the largest safety vest suppliers.  Now, it’s setting its sights on the United States.

One thing that we beat around here regularly is that we don’t believe law is always the answer. This is a case where passing a law requiring drivers to have more equipment in their car will have dubious benefits at best. While a safety vest is important if you plan to be standing in the middle of the road, the best way to handle dangerous roadside repairs is to avoid them in the first place. Always pull your car completely out of traffic if you need to make a repair. Otherwise, what are you doing in the road in the first place? On the other hand, if you are qualified with CPR or First Aid, you may want to consider carrying a safety vest in case you ever stop to assist after a motor vehicle accident. But safety vests for everyone? That just sounds like corporatism to the benefit of Warntex at our expense.

“The current system looks at accident records and tries to predict problems,” Johnson said. “The problem with this is that they wait three years for 20 accidents and then have to wait longer to do something about it. We aim to find low-cost ways to predict a dangerous location before we get 20 accidents.” By proactively identifying dangerous sites, corrective actions can be taken at earlier stages and, hopefully, future accidents can be avoided.

Civil engineers scout out accident hazards to make roads safer

The speed limit for motorways in the UK could go up without causing an increased risk to drivers, it has been claimed.  According to the Association of British Drivers (ABD), authorities should not consider speeding to be a major factor in road collisions.

Speed limit ‘could be raised without safety issues’