ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 4

HappyNewYear_2014

Happy New Year!
American Traffic Solutions wants thank everyone for their dedication to roadway safety over this past year. People are alive today because of your commitment to traffic safety. As an added expression of our appreciation, ATS invites you to watch this brief New Year’s message.

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School Zone Speed Safety Cameras Enter Warning Phase
The Daily News (Washington), Dec. 25, 2013

School zone speed enforcement cameras will be activated at Mark Morris High School in the Longview School District for the first time on Jan. 6. The first 30 days of the program will be a warning period. Camera testing began Monday and will continue sporadically until Jan. 6. (The Daily News photo by Roger Werth)

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New School Zone Speed Safety Cameras Ready for January Rollout
Renton Reporter (Washington), Dec. 23, 2013

New cameras in school zones that were originally expected to be ready to go in September have now been installed and will go into operation on Jan. 6 at the three new locations. School sites were approved based on a traffic study that identified these areas as having the highest number of vehicles exceeding the 20 mph speed limit. (Renton Reporter photo by Brian Beckley)

Report: Drivers Oppose Speeding, but Still Enjoy Doing It
Bellevue Reporter (Washington), Dec. 22, 2013

Americans almost unanimously agree speeding is a problem, yet seem to have difficulty kicking the habit, according to a report released in early December by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

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Busiest Red-Light Safety Cameras in New Jersey Catch Thousands
The Star-Ledger (New Jersey), Dec. 23, 2013

The red-light camera at eastbound Springdale Road and Route 70 in Cherry Hill has snared more violators than any location in the state this year, with nearly 11,890 citations through October. (Daily Record photo by Jason Towlen)

Police Request Red-Light Camera Video of Fatal Crash
The Miami Herald (Florida), Dec. 22, 2013

A 21-year-old man was killed over the weekend when his motorcycle collided with an SUV in a busy Sunrise intersection. Detectives have requested red-light camera footage to determine how the crash happened.

Red-Light Running Crash Injures 6 Students
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania), Dec. 19, 2013

An SUV ran a red light and crashed into a school van this morning, injuring six students. The youth were taken to Allegheny General Hospital with minor injuries. No one in the SUV was hurt.

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New Illinois Law Allows School Bus Stop Arm Safety Cameras
Dewitt Daily News (Illinois), Dec. 26, 2013

State Representative Jay Hoffman says a new law going into effect next week allows school districts to put cameras on their buses to keep an eye out for vehicles that go around the stop sign on a school bus. Hoffman says they aren’t trying to punish anyone because the law includes measures that protect drivers. (WCBU-Radio FM 89.9 photo)

Safety Cameras Changing Drivers’ Habits in Marietta
The Marietta Daily Journal (Georgia), Dec. 23, 2013

Marietta City Schools may be changing the way Mariettans drive around school buses, school officials say. With cameras installed on 12 of the school’s system’s buses since mid-October, the number of drivers violating school bus traffic laws is diminished.

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Governor-Elect to Announce Tunnel Toll Relief Plan
WTKR-TV Channel 3 (Virginia), Dec. 20, 2013

As we count down to the New Year, we are also counting down to the start of tunnel tolls! Today, Governor-Elect Terry McAuliffe’s team confirmed to NewsChannel 3 they are working to make those toll costs more affordable for Virginia families, and will release a final plan after McAuliffe’s inauguration.

Toll Rates Set for I-95 Express Lanes
The Baltimore Sun (Maryland), Dec. 19, 2013

The average rush-hour commuter will pay about $3.50 in daily round-trip tolls to use the new express lanes being built along Interstate 95 north of Baltimore, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. Those rates fall at the low end of the toll range approved in September by the board.  Drivers will use E-ZPass to access the express toll lanes.

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@ATS_RoadSafety Red-light running is 100% preventable. These videos show why you should #StopOnRed: http://bit.ly/giLVpR

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Commentary: Prevent Dangerous Crashes with Red-Light Cameras
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri), Dec. 20, 2013

As your chief of the St. Louis Fire Department, I can tell you that water is not the only way to stop a fire, and that bandages are not the only treatment for a traffic crash. In both circumstances, the best action to take is the one that will prevent the tragedy in the first place, whether that is accomplished through code enforcement, safety education classes or public awareness programs.

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Letter to the Editor: Red-Light Safety Cameras Reduce Risk
The Tampa Tribune (Florida), Dec. 24, 2013

When visiting relatives have driven my car, particularly in the Temple Terrace area where I live, I used to always have to warn them that, if they were the first person in line when the light turned green, they should not move forward without making sure no cars on the cross street are running the red light. With red-light cameras, this risk has been greatly reduced.

Letter to the Editor: Trouble with Red, Green
The Star-Ledger (New Jersey), Dec. 24, 2013

To those whining that they got ticketed at red-light cameras (“Nightmare on ___ St.,” Dec. 23): What part of “red means stop” don’t you understand? If you break the law, you pay the price. Learn to slow down, put your foot on the brake instead of the gas and you won’t have to worry about a ticket.

Phone Message to the Editor: Expand Use of Speed Cameras
Hagerstown Herald-Mail (Maryland), Dec. 23, 2013

I think the speed camera idea is great, and I think it should be expanded to be in the county and on the interstates. The speeds that people are running are just crazy, way over the speed limit. So I think it would solve a lot of things. It would increase public safety and it would also help us with taxes.

Comment to the Editor: People Kill People
Des Moines Register (Iowa), Dec. 20, 2013

During this wave of traffic cameras being viewed as an eye of government infringement and revenue without representation, why not fly our state and national flags at half-staff in honor of a person killed by a driver who failed to obey speed limits or stop at a red light?

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“What’s the difference between 20 mph and 26 mph? Twenty-six feet of stopping distance. With children walking in the area, that 26 feet could mean the difference between life and death.”
Clark Wilcox, Renton Police Department Commander
Renton Reporter (Washington), Dec. 23, 2013

“Speeding deaths are entirely preventable. They result from the decision to speed. That decision creates risk for not only the speeding driver, but everyone else on the road with them.”
John Batiste, Washington State Patrol Chief
Bellevue Reporter (Washington), Dec. 22, 2013
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Georgia
With school bus stop arm safety cameras in operation for at least two months, the number of violations issued from October to November decreased 56% from an average of slightly more than 16 a day to an average of nearly seven a day. Authorites issued 281 citations from the bus safety cameras during those months. SOURCE: Marietta Daily Journal, Dec. 23, 2013.

Washington
A decrease in year-to-year speed violations at separate elementary school zones in the Longview School District precedes the start of a new school zone speed camera program in the district. Speeding violations decreased 27% at Columbia Valley Gardents Elementary School and 25% at Mint Valley Elementary School from January to November 2012 to the same period in 2013. SOURCE: The Daily News, Dec. 25, 2013.