Nashville, TN – Speed cameras lead to fewer speeders, speed-related crashes and crashes involving injuries and fatalities, according to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
IIHS researchers studied the effects of speed cameras in Montgomery County, MD, which first implemented speed cameras in 2007. By 2014, speed cameras were found to be associated with a 59 percent decrease in vehicles traveling more than 10 mph above the speed limit at camera locations. Meanwhile, researchers noted a 39 percent drop in the likelihood of serious or fatal crashes along camera corridors.
According to the researchers, the findings offer evidence that more communities can improve traffic safety by using the technology and establishing speed-camera corridors. Speed cameras often are affixed to posts along roadways and pointed toward traffic to capture vehicle speeds and license plate information.
“We hope this research will help energize the discussion around speed,” IIHS President Adrian Lund said in a press release. “We’re all accustomed to seeing posted limits ignored, but it’s a mistake to think nothing can be done about it. Automated enforcement is one of the tools we have at our disposal.”
