The Federal Highway Administration research shows that, on average, over 30% of the annual fatalities on our roadways are speed related and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety statistics show that well over 2% of all traffic related fatalities are related to running red lights. This means that approximately 35% of all traffic related fatalities and injuries are directly related to the aggressive driving behaviors of running stop lights and speeding.
The jarring numbers for speeding and red light running are represented in these charts:
According to a rate based on 35% of all fatal and injury accidents, in the 17 years of this data over 2 million people died and 12 million people were injured due to speeding and red light violations.
The terribly sad reality of these numbers is that speeding and red light running are preventable behaviors and all of this loss didn’t need to happen.
A Public Safety Pledge
LaserCraft Inc, a provider of automated red light and speed enforcement, as well as a manufacturer of laser speed guns, believes it is time for society to take a stand against aggressive drivers and pledges to work with law enforcement agencies across the nation to lower the number of fatalities and injuries related to red light running and speeding by 25% in the next 5 years. We believe that “25 in 5” can save 3,000 lives and reduce injuries by 150,000 annually and help make our communities "All About Safety."
LaserCraft believes that by working with communities we can help alter aggressive driving behaviors making the roads safer for all that travel on them. LaserCraft also believes that, by helping communities with automated speed and red light enforcement, we will provide the added benefits of making the job safer for law enforcement and help law enforcement, resources be used more efficiently. It is with the goal of safer communities, safer law enforcement and more efficient uses of public resources that the following information is provided.
Safer Communities
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety performed research on the effectiveness of automated red light enforcement on reducing red light running. Their research showed that automated red light enforcement programs reduced red light running by about 40%. LaserCraft has found similar results in communities that are using its’ red light enforcement system. The following chart shows the number of red light violations for the past three years in one community that utilized LaserCraft.
Red light running is a dangerous component of aggressive driving, but speeding is still the most dangerous. Automated Speed Enforcement is also a new tool provided by LaserCraft to make our communities safer and it is proving to have a big impact on reducing speed violations around the nation. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently performed a study of a Maryland community that is using automated speed enforcement. The study showed that, after 6 months of running the program, drivers speeding 10 mph faster than the posted speed limit decreased 70% on the roads where the cameras were operational and by 39% on roads where signs warning of enforcement were posted and the cameras weren’t yet installed. Once again the question is begged to be asked, how much safer would a community be if speeding was reduced by 70% or even by 39%?
It is obvious from the research, and data from LaserCraft, that in areas where LaserCraft is a strategic partner with law enforcement the number of speeders and red light runners decreases dramatically. This saves lives and protects communities’ precious resources.
Safer Law Enforcement
The men and women in our law enforcement communities put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. We as a community should do all that we can to help keep them safe while on the job. One way communities can do this is by helping reduce the number of traffic stops and traffic related work that police officers must perform. Traffic related duties have long been considered one of the most dangerous activities a law enforcement officer can perform. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund recently released the “Law Enforcement Officer Deaths 2007 Final Report.” In the report they show that 69 officers were killed in traffic related accidents, 14 officers were killed when struck by vehicles and 12 officers were shot and killed while on traffic stops. In 2007, 95 police officers gave their lives for their communities due to traffic related activities.
The U.S. Department of Justice released a 2002 national survey on Contacts Between Police and the Public. This survey showed that in 2002 there were approximately 16 million traffic stops in the U.S. and of these stops approximately 10 million were for speeding and red light violations. During all of stops there were, according to the survey, 186,000 uses of force or threats to use force were made by the police, which leads to the assumption that red light and speeding violations lead to over 50,000 uses of force or threats to use force made by law enforcement.
What if the number of law enforcement traffic stops could be greatly reduced while at the same time doing a better job of enforcing the speeding and traffic laws. This is what automated stop light and speeding enforcement can do. Automated enforcement can greatly alter aggressive driving behaviors and make community streets safer. It also can greatly reduce the need for law enforcement officers to perform dangerous traffic stops. A 10% reduction in traffic stops for red light and speeding would equate to 1 million less stops and 1 million less chances for a law enforcement officer to become a statistic.
Efficient Use of Community Resources
Every community in the U.S. has limited resources and must use these resources as efficiently as possible to best serve and protect their citizens. LaserCraft believes that automated red light and speed enforcement can help a community realize a more efficient use of resources. Approximately 10 million traffic stops were performed by law enforcement officers for speeding and red light violations in a single year. If average time per stop was 10 minutes this would mean that U.S. law enforcement officers spend approximately 1.7 million hours on traffic stops for red lights and speed enforcement annually. What if this number was reduced by only 50%? That would be an additional 850,000 hours in which law enforcement officers could be patrolling neighborhoods or school zones. A 50% decrease in traffic stops would be like having nearly 500 additional officers on the street at no additional cost to the communities.
It could be assumed that law enforcement vehicles would be used in most of the 10 million traffic stops for red light and speed violations. In this case, law enforcement vehicles would be running for nearly 1.7 million hours. What if the vehicles used 2 gallons of fuel every hour? The cost of fuel at today’s high energy costs would be approximately $14 million. This is another $14 million that can be invested in other community programs to help with crime prevention.
Communities are spending a lot of time and energy to enforce red light and speeding laws. LaserCraft can help mitigate these lost resources and help communities re-invest them for other public safety programs.
Conclusion
Automated Red Light and Speeding Enforcement can be a tremendous tool to make our communities safer by reducing the threats seen by red light and speeding violators, improving the safety of law enforcement officers by reducing their exposure to dangerous traffic stops, and helping communities reinvest labor and financial resources into other crime prevention programs. “25 in 5” is LaserCraft’s commitment to saving lives, reducing injuries (25% reduction in 5 years), and making our communities a safer place to live, work and play. By working together, we can change the safety of our roads and teach future generations it is ALL ABOUT SAFETY.