Yes, the number of people going through red lights went down, but the number of rear end collisions have gone up.
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/02/288.aspEven a government study admits that they increased:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/05048/11.cfmAdditionally, more pedestrians are injured at intersections with red light cameras than without them.
Neither study researches how night time crashes may have increased due to drivers being blinded by the flash of light emitted from the cameras.
There are also studies that show an overall 40% increase in accidents at intersections with red light cameras.
http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/crash-risk-studyThese studies were found within 5 minutes of searching the internet. If you are going to do an article like this, please take a few moments and do the research and present both sides. Not just the one that you want to be true.
Stopping at a red light does not always avoid a ticket. You can make a legal right turn on red and still be sent a ticket. You can enter the light on the green, making a left hand turn and the yellow be too short for you to make it through before the light turns red. There are various other ways, the technology is not perfect, but in many jurisdictions, you have no right to contest a red light camera ticket.
