ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 5, Issue 20

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Heart-Stopping Video Shows SUV Narrowly Missing Young Students
ABC News (Washington, D.C.), April 28, 2015

Heart-stopping video from a school bus security camera shows a driver coming within inches of mowing down three school children as they were about to step on the bus in the Bethel School District of Washington State. Nobody was hurt, but 5-year-old Charity said it sure felt like something touched her. Detectives say the driver went into a ditch to pass the bus and did not stop later to check on the children. See related coverage from KNDU-TV NBC 25 and WZVN-TV ABC 7(ABC News images)

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Police Release Video, Ask for Help with Arizona Murder Case
KNXV-TV ABC 15 (Arizona), April 27, 2015

Detectives are asking the public for help one year after they found a man murdered inside his Paradise Valley home in Arizona. … In the video, photo radar cameras capture the killers in the victim’s stolen vehicle turning right near 94th Street and Shea Boulevard. Another car follows closely behind. Police say the killers drove to a remote area, lit the victim’s BMW on fire and then used the other car to get away. (KNXV-TV ABC 15 image)

School Bus Cameras Catch Violators
WNCT-TV CBS 9 (North Carolina), April 24, 2015

Lenoir County Schools are ahead of legislation, equipping several of its buses with stop-arm cameras. The next time you think about passing a school bus, think again.

 

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Dallas Police Monitor Video for School Bus Stop Arm Violations
KXAS-TV NBC 5 (Texas), April 29, 2015

After an SUV nearly hit three children trying to board a school bus in Washington, law enforcement agencies are cracking down on drivers who ignore bus stop signs. Dallas County Schools, the organization that provides buses to 11 districts, has cameras on their 1,700 buses. (KXAS-TV NBC 5 image)

Cameras Catch Thousands Illegally Passing School Buses
WSB-TV Channel 2 (Georgia), April 27, 2015

Cameras have captured over 7,000 drivers illegally passing stopped school buses in Gwinnett County alone. Each morning and afternoon 1,900 school buses roll through the county. Two hundred and thirty of them have stop-arm cameras, catching violations.

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Suffolk Pols Back NY School Bus Stop Arm Camera Bill
Long Island Press (New York), April 24, 2015

Three school buses on eastern Long Island were equipped with cameras as part of a pilot program aiming to record drivers breaking laws against passing school buses when they’re stopped, officials said. In the first six school days of April, 38 vehicles were filmed passing stopped school buses fitted with cameras, a Longwood Central School District official told the Public Safety Committee of the Suffolk County Legislature on Thursday. See related coverage from WCBS-TV CBS 2. (WCBS-TV CBS 2 image)

 

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County Judge Rejects New Ohio Rules on Road Safety Cameras
WDTN-TV Channel 2 (Ohio), April 28, 2015

A judge in northwest Ohio has made the latest ruling rejecting the state’s new restrictions on traffic camera enforcement. Lucas County Judge Dean Mandros followed up his March 22 preliminary injunction against the law with a ruling Monday that it violates home-rule powers given to local governments under Ohio’s constitution.

Boynton Officials Say Red-Light Cameras Helped Keep Drivers Safe
Sun Sentinel (Florida), April 27, 2015

According to a 2012 Boynton Beach Police Department crash report, in 2011 the city’s red-light cameras reduced crashes by 55 percent at the city’s then four red-light camera intersections compared to 2010. This is the most recent data, according to Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Slater. In addition to reducing crashes, the city’s cameras were a deterrent, keeping people from repeatedly running red lights.

Red-Light Cameras to Return to Fayetteville Intersections
WTVD-TV (North Carolina), April 25, 2015

This summer, the city of Fayetteville plans to begin the installation of 11 cameras at eight intersections. The installation is dependent on approval from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. … Four of the seven selected intersections could have cameras as early as July 1, marking  a return to Fayetteville after nearly 8 years.

 

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ATS_RoadSafety Fact 7: RLSC Intersections in #Florida have reduced fatal crashes & saved lives. #StopOnRed RT if you agree.

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TODAY Parents @Today_Parents  Police target drivers who pass stopped school buses http://on.today.com/1JAkisl

 

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ATS_RoadSafety  Video: @HCSOSheriff Red-Light Runners – Round 9 shows the dangers of red-light running #StopOnRed RT! https://youtu.be/EIGqo6iaR6I

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ATS_RoadSafety  @CDCgov tool calculates econ benefits of lives saved as a result of using #roadsafetycameras: http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator/index.html…

 

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RoadSafetyInk-Survey

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please take a moment to click on the image above and complete the brief survey that opens up. Your input will help ATS make your experience with Road Safety Ink the best it can be! Thank you for your comments.

 

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Toll Lanes: What Fort Worth Area Motorists Can Expect
Star-Telegram (Texas), April 28, 2015

To say Fort Worth-area motorists are becoming accustomed to paying tolls wherever they go is an understatement. And there’s more. In 2018, a rebuilt Interstate 35W is expected to open between downtown Fort Worth and Alliance Texas. That’s another road that will feature a combination of toll and toll-free lanes. So like them or not, toll lanes appear to be here to stay. With that in mind, here are some things to expect in the coming months and years on the western side of the Metroplex. (Star-Telegram photo by Ron Jenkins)

Commentary: Give Road, Bridge Funding Some Gas
Portland Tribune (Oregon), April 28, 2015

Regardless of your politics, there is little debate over the critical need for net new revenues to build and repair our nation’s roads and bridges, says Patrick Jones, executive director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. One proven method with a long history is tolls. Thirty-five states now use toll financing to build and operate much-needed infrastructure. There are nearly 6,000 miles of tolled facilities in the United States, and nearly 3,000 of those miles are on the interstate highway system. Recent research shows that more than four-fifths of all Americans think tolls should be considered as a primary source of transportation revenue on a project-by-project basis.

10,000 Good to Go! Flex Passes in Hands of Early Adopters
The Enumclaw Courier-Herald (Washington), April 27, 2015

Drivers aren’t waiting to the last minute to prepare for the opening of Interstate 405 express toll lanes this fall. Since the new Good To Go! Flex Pass launched in March, the Washington State Department of Transportation has distributed over 10,000 new Flex Passes. Carpools will need a Flex Pass to travel free on the I-405 express toll lanes.

 

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Commentary: Once Again, Yellow Means Green, Red Means Maybe
Miami Herald (Florida), April 27, 2015

Yellow has a new meaning in my life. A few months ago, yellow signified “apply the brakes.” But the Fourth District Court of Appeal has altered my very perception of color. The state appeal panel left municipal and county red-light camera programs in disarray with a decision that the city of Hollywood should not have outsourced enforcement to a private company. … Suddenly yellow looked different. Red undertones disappeared. Yellow became just another shade of green It meant pound the accelerator.

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Editorial: School Bus Cameras Can Save Lives
Newsday (New York), April 29, 2015

Ideally, cameras on school buses would be a preventive tool, rather than punitive. The goal is to keep drivers from passing stopped school buses, not to fine them for this dangerous behavior. Ideally, even just a few tickets written could have a huge impact. School districts should have the ability to install cameras on buses and keep our children safe, and police should have the ability to write tickets based on the footage.

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Letter to the Editor: Cameras Do Prevent Crashes
The Ledger (Florida), April 27, 2015

The red-light camera located on Daugherty Road and Socrum Loop Road on the north side of Lakeland was installed a number of years ago. I go through the intersection about four times a day. Before the cameras were installed, there was about one accident a week and one major accident a month. Since then, I’m not sure when the last time was that there was an accident at that location. I think those cameras have done their job.

Letter: Police, City Officials Urge Support for Red-Light Cameras
The Pasadena Citizen (Texas), April 27, 2015

The data from local law enforcement officials across Texas is indisputable; red-light cameras successfully reduce red-light running and crashes at the state’s most dangerous intersections and improve driver behavior. Chiefs of police and city officials warn the abandonment of the lifesaving camera program could increase collisions and put Texas’ residents at serious risk of death or injury. A sampling of their opinions follows.

 

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National
According to statistics from 2010 reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the $871 billion economic loss and societal harm caused by vehicle crashes cost the average U.S. citizen $900 per year. Studies into the causation of crashes have concluded that approximately 90 percent of incidents can be attributed to driver error. Source: Federal Highway Administration. Public Roads. March/April 2015.

New York
Last year in New York state, drivers passing stopped school buses hit 35 children. And school officials say drivers illegally sped past stopped school buses about 50,000 times a day in the state. Source: WCBS-TV CBS 2, April 23, 2015.