Traffic Safety Coalition Announces Traffic Fatalities in Texas on the Decline

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar. 29, 2012 - CHICAGO – The latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show the number of fatalities on Texas’s roadways declined 15 percent, including a 20 percent reduction in speed-related fatalities, from 2006 to 2010. Texas roads are getting safer with increased seatbelt usage, improved air bag technology, safer driving habits and local police departments taking advantage of new technology to hold lawbreakers accountable through the use of live-saving enforcement tools such as red light cameras.  

According to NHTSA data, there were 2,998 fatalities on Texas roads in 2010, down from 3,531 in 2006.  Speed-related fatalities were also reduced from 1,496 in 2006 to 1190 in 2010.  

One contributing factor to this reduction has been the increased use of traffic safety cameras.  Data across the country shows cameras  change driver behavior, deter drivers from breaking the law, reduce crashes and save lives.  This has been the case in communities across Texas:

•   Dallas, Texas –Intersection safety cameras at 49 intersections led to a 61 percent reduction in red light running crashes. (Dallas City Hall).

•   Garland, Texas –Intersection safety cameras in Garland led to a 25 percent reduction in fatal red light running crashes. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).

•   Port Lavaca, Texas –Intersection safety cameras in Port Lavaca led to a 40 percent reduction in red light running violations. (Texas Department of Transportation).

•   Humble, Texas –Intersection safety cameras in Humble led to a 60 percent reduction in red light running crashes. (Humble Police Department).

Perhaps the most telling statistics about the effectiveness of red light cameras are the numbers showing what happens when safety cameras are turned off.  After Houston discontinued its safety camera program, police cited a 350 percent increase in injury crashes and a 1,300 percent increase in total crashes at intersections where cameras were once active (KTRK-TV).