Do Road Safety Cameras Reduce Work Zone Crashes?

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DO ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS REDUCE WORK ZONE CRASHES?
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ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS

• Numerous studies confirm road safety cameras
  reduce speeding, which leads to fewer crashes.
• According to an Arizona State University study, a
  Scottsdale Pilot Speed Camera Program showed a
  54 reduction in total crashes and a nine mph
  speed reduction.
• In three U.S. municipalities, the Insurance
  Institute for Highway Safety found 70 to 88 of
  drivers who traveled more than 10 mph over the
  speed limit reduced their speeds because of road
  safety cameras.
• These are just two examples of countless studies
  demonstrating the positive results from road
  safety cameras.

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ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS

• Road safety cameras play an especially important
  role in work zones.
• With summer here, most States Departments of
  Transportation will be in full construction mode.
  
• Ongoing road repair means many drivers will need
  to traverse work zones.
• Because theyll be required to slow down, stop
  and wait sometimes for lengthy periods, some
  drivers will become frustrated and want to speed
  through these zones.
• Or, they may not be paying attention and miss the
  posted warning signs.

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ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS

• WHY IS WORK ZONE SAFETY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE?
•  
• Everybody is at risk in a work zone, not just the
  construction workers.
• In fact, the Maryland SafeZones program found
  four out of five work zone crashes injured or
  killed motorists and passengers, not workers.
• In addition, work zones usually create
  problematic driving conditions.
• Many zones have limited space, such as single
  lanes.
• Plus, drivers might have to negotiate lots of
  obstacles, including construction trucks,
  machinery and equipment.
• They have to deal with lane restrictions,
  hazards, as well as obey changing speed limits.

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ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS

• WHY IS WORK ZONE SAFETY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE?
•  
• By going too fast, drivers may not be able to
  steer safely around curves or objects.
• They also may not be able to stop their vehicles
  quickly if needed or react as fast as required to
  a dangerous situation.
•  
• With these challenges, drivers must pay careful
  attention to the road.
• They have very little room for error while
  driving through these tight and busy areas.

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ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS

• ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS AND WORK ZONES A PERFECT
  MATCH
•  
• One main purpose of road safety cameras is to
  deter driving at unsafe speeds.
• That is especially important in areas where
  workers may be working right next to lanes of
  fast moving traffic.
• Slower work zone speeds help avoid crashes and
  save people from injury and death.
• Other factors contribute to work zone crashes,
  including going too fast for the current road
  conditions, using a mobile phone, being
  distracted, not yielding the right-of-way,
  following too closely or any number of other
  risky driving behaviors.
• To ensure these work zones remain safe for
  everyone, many states, counties and
  municipalities are using road safety cameras to
  protect drivers, passengers and construction
  workers from injuries or fatalities caused from
  bad driving.

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ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS

• ROAD SAFETY CAMERAS AND WORK ZONES A PERFECT
  MATCH
•  
• For example, the state of Maryland has
  implemented a successful SafeZones program that
  reduced speeding in work zones.
• Using road safety cameras, the SafeZones program
  resulted in more than an 80 reduction in
  speeding violations.
• In addition, crash injuries and deaths in work
  zones reached their lowest levels in more than 10
  years.
• The goals of road safety cameras in work zones
  should be to encourage changes in driver behavior
  and improve awareness.
• Everyone must understand how driving too fast in
  a work zone can lead to deadly crashes.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ryan is Communications Director at Redflex
Traffic Systems, Inc., a leader in road safety
technology that operates more than 2,000 photo
enforcement systems in over 250 cities throughout
the United States and Canada. For more
information about Road Safety Cameras, visit
http//www.redflex.com today.