Theoretical considerations and laboratory studies suggest that a raise in light level in urban streets would lead to a reduction in road accidents and in criminal offenses. Earlier accident studies on major urban roads in the UK support this suggestion. A recent large scale survey study (about 500,000 inhabitants) did show an accident reduction with higher the light levels, with the exception of intersection accidents in main streets. Further, the Dutch study did show for one medium sized town a clear relation between the light level and the crime rate. Between about 1 lux and 5 lux, the night/day ratio of registered crime was reduced from over 8 to under 2; at light levels over about 5 lux, this ratio seems to level off at about 1.5. (Author/publisher)
Abstract