RESEARCH: Red-light Cameras Are Effective

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) takes on critics of red-light enforcement cameras in a special report outlining the impact of the cameras on reducing crashes.
The IIHS reports that in the 14 biggest U.S. cities with red-light cameras, in 2004-08 there were 14 percent fewer fatal crashes per capita at intersections with signals than would have been expected.
If red-light cameras do cause more rear-end crashes, as some studies suggest, the life-saving benefits of reducing more severe mid-intersection crashes creates a net positive effect, the IIHS report contends.