ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 26

 

ABC News_Dangers running red lights

Drivers Beware: The Dangers of Running Red Lights
ABC News, May 23, 2014

Find out the time of day and week this is most likely to occur so you can be safe. View NCSR report here.

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PeopleRunningRedLights
Red Light Crashes Come by The Thousands
Right This Minute, May 28, 2014

Running a red light comes with serious consequences. However, that doesn’t stop the thousands of drivers that run through the lights on a daily basis.

Seattle adding speed-enforcement cameras at 5 schools
The Seattle Times, May 27, 2014

Seattle will install traffic cameras at five more schools during June, to enforce a 20 mph limit while children come and go.

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Red Light Running Increases Over Holiday Weekend
WTAE Action News (Pittsburgh), May 23, 2014

The Memorial Day weekend is the most dangerous holiday weekend for intersection safety, according to a new report, because that’s when more drivers run red lights. Sally Kidd reports from Washington.

AAA to Yonkers

AAA to Yonkers, others: Show more red light camera data
The Journal News, May 25, 2014

Yonkers says its red light cameras are reducing violations while AAA New York says the city and others are not supplying the data needed. City spokeswoman Christina Gilmartin said the city had been providing the data required, including the crash figures. Anita Morck, director of the the city’s parking violations bureau, said people are running fewer lights, according to the data and her personal observations.

NY Vision Zero plan

New York City Council to Pass Vision Zero Legislation
WABC 7 News, May 29, 2014

The New York City Council is set to pass a sweeping legislative package aimed at improving traffic safety. Some measures will need approval from the State Legislature.Those include more speed cameras and red light cameras, and tougher penalties for violations like leaving the scene of an accident.

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S.C. Bill Allowing Stop-Arm Cameras to Catch School Bus Scofflaws Advances After Accident
School Transportation News, May 27, 2014

Sometimes it takes a tragedy to spur lawmakers to take a second look at legislation that is languishing. South Carolina State Sen. Thomas Alexander used a disturbing photo taken at an accident scene to urge his colleagues to reconsider a bill he introduced a year ago — and today senators sent SB 718 to the House after a unanimous show of support Thursday.

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School bus cameras would target unsafe drivers
UTICA NY Observer-Dispatch, May 26, 2014

A state group focused on school transportation issues thinks special cameras could be the key to cracking down on unsafe drivers. The New York Association for Pupil Transportation recently called on the state Senate and Assembly to pass legislation that would allow stop-arm cameras to be installed on school buses.

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ATS_RoadSafety retweeted @sarasotapdAx clear. Look @ damage Witnesses told officers driver of maroon car ran red light&collided w truck Both drivers hurt pic.twitter.com/tdRBLs1280

@ATS_RoadSafety “Running red lights is not a rare occurrence, it’s a common occurrence,” Tom King,Chief of Police, State College tmblr.co/ZC9-Wt1H8EdKR

@ATS_RoadSafety retweeted @ABCWorldNews Fridays and the danger of red lights -By The Numbers: on.fb.me/1k2Kiui twitpic.com/e4jnzy

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COLUMN: Running red lights is no joke, and yet we just can’t stop doing it
Fredericksburg.com (Virginia), May 26, 2014

In Virginia, eight cameras in Arlington and Falls Church captured 10,552 red-light runners last year. That’s about 29 a day. Heck, you can see that many red-light runners in an hour or so at the Princess Anne and William Street intersection while sipping coffee at Hyperion Espresso. The problem is no joke, though.

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Police: Don’t restrict traffic cameras
Zanesville Times Recorder (Ohio), May 27, 2014

Elmwood Place Police Chief William Peskin has said speed cameras are a way to multiply his police force, which has 23 part-time officers. He is the only full-time officer.

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“What we’re trying to do with the cameras is be the eyes of law enforcement when they’re not present,”Alexander told a local station. ”Unfortunately, many times it takes an unfortunate situation to help galvanize the support that we need.”
Thomas Alexander, South Carolina State Senator
School Transportation News, May 27, 2014

 

“Stop-arm cameras can be an integral part of our overall effort to keep our children safe as they ride their school buses to and from school each day,” association President Richard Gallagher said in a news release. “We estimate that some 50,000 motorists pass stopped school buses every day and most of them get away with endangering our children because we don’t have cameras on school buses.”

President Richard Gallagher, New York Association for Pupil Transportation
Utica Observer-Dispatch, May 26, 2014

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Yonkers, New York
As for violations, October and November 2010, 4,017 fines were issued from those (red-light safety camera enforced) intersections. During the most recent two months, March and April, 672 were issued. Source: The Journal News, May 25, 2014.

Louisiana
There were over 26,000 red-light running violations on Saturdays in 2013, just for Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Overall, for the entire state in those two locations, there were over 162,000 red-light running violations in 2013. And most of the violations occur in the afternoon. Source: WWL.com and NCSR Safer Roads Report 2014: Trends in Red-Light Running