Traffic Cameras Report

The first report is in about cameras installed at two locations in Washington on Highway 47. It's for two months and indicates the cameras are doing what they were intended to do-reduce accidents.

Police Chief Ken Hahn was the first to say that a longer period is needed to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the cameras. Six months to a year will provide more conclusive data. From March 1 through May 7 this year, there were seven traffic crashes at the two intersections where there are cameras-five at Highway 100/47 and two at Highway 100/Route A. That compares to 16 accidents at both intersections for the same period in 2007. The police chief said the results look promising and after the first year of experience will give a better report on the cameras' effectiveness in helping to improve safety at the two intersections. The fact that accidents are down at the two intersections is good news, but there is another important byproduct of the cameras. They have made motorists more cautious since they know the cameras are there and they don't want to receive a ticket for a violation, such as running a red light. Like others, we await the results of a full year of experience with the cameras.

http://www.emissourian.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=1409&dept_id=33074&newsid... 5/16/2008

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