Combined speed and red light cameras have become a widely implemented enforcement measure. Previous research already examined the effect of red-light cameras, however the present knowledge on the effects still has limitations. This study evaluates the traffic safety effect of combined speed and red light cameras at 253 signalised intersections in Flanders-Belgium that were installed between 2002 and 2007. The adopted approach was an empirical Bayes before and after study. The analyses show a non-significant increase of 5-9% in the number of injury crashes. For the severe crashes, with serious and fatal injuries, a decrease of 14-18% was found. The number of rear-end crashes turned out to have increased significantly (+44%), whereas a non-significant decrease (-6%) was found in the number of side collisions. The decrease for the severe crashes was mainly attributable to the effect on side-collisions, for which a significant decrease of 24% was found. Furthermore ANOVA-analyses showed more favourable results for camera locations outside urban areas compared with locations inside urban areas. It is concluded that combined speed and red light cameras have a favourable effect on traffic safety, especially on severe crashes. However, future research should examine the circumstances of rear-end crashes and how these can be handled. This publication may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.ictct.org/workshop.php?workshop_nr=35
Abstract