SUGAR LAND — A new study finds red light cameras do not cut down on wrecks or make intersections safer, and in some cases, they may lead to more crashes.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio looked at thousands of collisions in Texas over a 12-year span, focusing on TxDOT data while cameras in Houston were operational and after they were removed.
If drivers enter an intersection once the light turns red, the cameras snap a photo of their vehicle, and the owner receives a $75 ticket in the mail.
The CWRU researchers found more drivers brake harder and more suddenly to avoid getting a ticket, causing more fender benders. In Houston, they blame the cameras for an 18 percent jump in “non-angle” crashes, while in Houston and Dallas combined, they note a 28 percent.
Researchers conclude cities should strongly reconsider existing programs and avoid starting new ones.
On Tuesday afternoon, KHOU spokes with several people in Sugar Land about the cameras. The city began their program in 2007 and current has red light cameras at six intersections, according to their website.
“I do support the red light cameras…especially when it’s time for him to start driving” said Felena Gary, referring to her young son. “I’m definitely gonna be pro to that.”
“I think it does help, cause a lot of people that drive, sometimes they keep going, they don’t stop,” said Stephanie Casarez, who admitted she and other family members have gotten tickets from those cameras.
“It’s kind of counter-intuitive to keep them if they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” said Ira Chapman. “It does seem like a money grab than anything else.”
Supporters say red light cameras improve safety. In a June press release, Sugar Land officials credited them with helping reduce crashes by 58 percent at the intersections where they’re installed.
However, critics say they are unconstitutional and believe they’re installed to earn money for local governments.
“It mirrors exactly what we had been telling the city years ago,” said Houston City Council Member Michael Kubosh, referring to the CWRU study.
Prior to his election, Council Member Kubosh spearheaded Houston’s voter-approved ban on red light cameras in 2010.
During the Houston red light camera program’s four years of operation, the CWRU study says the city issued around 800,000 citations worth $75 each, collecting about $44 million.
“I would like to see them come completely out of Texas totally,” said Council Member Kubosh.
Researchers say the removal of Houston's cameras led to a 26 percent increase in "angle" accidents, like T-bone collisions, which are considered among the most dangerous.
“It’s likely the cameras actually led to more accidents overall, since there are more non-angle accidents,” researchers write.
During a March 2017 interview, Sugar Land's then-police chief and current assistant city manager, Doug Brinkley, told KHOU his department also measures success in other ways.
"About 89 percent of the people that have a violation from a red light camera never receive a second violation,” said Brinkley. “So that's really testament that once you receive the first one, you're changing your thought process, and you'll be more careful as you approach the intersection."
Officials also said revenue from red light cameras goes back into making traffic improvements at the intersections where they are installed.
On Tuesday, a Sugar Land spokesperson declined KHOU’s interview request to discuss the red light camera program’s current effectiveness and its future, saying police officials are preparing an update on program for Council that has not been completed.
KHOU also reached out to an official at the Tomball Police Department with the same questions but had not heard back as of Tuesday afternoon.