Crashes up at intersections with cameras

Many factors behind increase, report says

Vehicle collisions at intersections with red-light cameras have increased, according to a new report from Florida highway officials.

In a survey of 148 intersections in 28 cities and counties across the state, total crashes were up 10.14 percent after the cameras were installed , the Dec. 31 report from the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says.

The survey, which used crash data collected between July 2012 and April 2016, also showed:

Rear-end collisions were up 11.41 percent.

Angle crashes were up 6.72

percent.

Accidents involving pedestrians, bicyclists and other “non-motorists” were down 19.64 percent.

Collisions involving vehicles running red lights were down 3.14 percent.

Crashes involving injuries were up 9.34 percent.

Fatalities doubled from five to 10 in the survey, which involved more than 10,700 total accidents.

Several South Florida cities stopped their red-light camera programs after an appellate court ruled in 2014 that Hollywood, and therefore other cities, could not delegate ticket-writing to a third-party vendor.

Boynton Beach discontinued its cameras Dec. 31, the last city in Palm Beach County using the cameras. Cameras continue to operate in four Broward County cities and 16 in Miami-Dade County.

Statewide, highway safety officials said motorists are spending more time on the roadways, meaning an increased likelihood of more crashes overall. Vehicle miles in the state increased 8.32 percent from 2012 to 2015, the report noted.

Also, not all crash reports give exact locations, making it more difficult to correlate the accidents with red-light camera intersections.

“The crash analysis should be put into context of the overall complexity of the issue at hand, as many factors may contribute to the change in number of crashes outlined in this report,” the survey says.

But the increase in accidents at red-light camera intersections follows a trend, with last year’s report showing a 14.65 percent rise in a survey of more than 7,400 accidents.

The new data, which will be reviewed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Wednesday, is likely to be used by some lawmakers to bolster their case for banning the controversial devices.

Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, with support from Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who oversees the state transportation budget, has filed legislation (SB 178) to eliminate the cameras by 2020.

Reps. Bryan Avila, R-Hialeah, and Blaise Ingoglia, RSpring Hill, have filed a similar measure (HB 6007) in the House.

Attempts to ban red-light cameras have failed during past legislative sessions.

Artiles used the crash data to try to pass a red-light camera repeal bill last year.

“The purpose of red-light cameras is not about safety. It’s about money,” Artiles said. “We finally have the proof we need.”

Money remains a major factor in the debate over the cameras, with the state and local governments splitting the $158 fines for red-light camera violations.

Fines yielded nearly $60 million for the state budget last year, according to the state Department of Revenue. Cities and counties collected about $53 million, with about half of that going to red-light camera companies.

In Boynton, critics called the camera program a money grabber for the city that did little to address traffic safety. But police Sgt. Phillip Hawkins, who oversees the city's traffic unit, said his department found the cameras helped reduce crashes at Boynton intersections by 51 percent.

And, he said, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study stated that fatal crashes from red-light runners increased by 30 percent per capita after cities turned off their red-light camera programs.

The number of red-light cameras in use in Florida through June 30 dropped by 108 devices, down to 688, from the previous year, according to the highway safety survey of 59 cities and counties using the cameras.

Six local governments dropped the use of the cameras in the past year, the report showed.

But while the number of cameras declined, violations rose by 27.5 percent to 1.23 million during the 2015-16 fiscal year. Citations written personally by law enforcement officers declined about 12 percent to 50,755, the report says.

American Traffic Solutions was the top company providing red-light cameras in Florida, servicing 46 cities and counties. Xerox and Redflex each had four local government clients, the report says.

The companies earn an average of $4,250 or more per month from each camera, prior reports showed.