LINDEN, N.J., Dec. 12, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Red-light safety cameras are not only reducing dangerous T-bone collisions, but are also reducing other types of collisions at several Linden intersections. A recent analysis on vehicular crashes illustrates the effectiveness of red-light safety camera technology. Crash data from the two year period, August 2010 to July 2012, was analyzed and found that all three intersections studied had notable public safety benefits. Reported crash reductions are listed below.
| Route 27 and North Stiles St. | US Route 1 and South Stiles St. | US Route 1 and South Park Ave. |
| Total crashes reduced by 15% | Total crashes reduced by 31%. | Total crashes reduced by 33%. |
| * Rear-end: 9% | * Rear-end: 26% | * Rear-end: 38% |
| * Right Angle: 33% | * Right Angle: 100% | * Right Angle: no crashes to report |
| * Sideswipe: 29% | * Sideswipe: 61% | * Sideswipe: 33% |
| * Front: no crashes to report | * Front: 100% | * Front: 100% |
"Every time we can avoid a crash we help save a life or prevent an injury," said Sgt. Michael Babulski, who administers the red light camera system for the Linden Police Department. "The results in this report are meaningful to Linden. We expect next year's results will be even better in our community and in the state, and we hope this program becomes a permanent addition to the traffic safety network in New Jersey for the sake of all drivers. When the program went on line in August of 2010, I expected that it would take some time to change driving habits and this year's data really proves that. We are reducing crashes and injuries at every intersection, even the ones without red light cameras."
A recent statewide report found right-angle crashes and red-light running citations to be trending downward overall at intersections with photo enforcement devices, two trends the report called "encouraging." The analysis recommended that the program remain under evaluation for its impact on traffic safety.
The report includes results from 24 intersections with cameras in operation for at least one year, and two intersections with cameras in use for two years. At the 24 locations with cameras in use for one year, total right-angle crashes are down 15 percent from the previous year. At the two intersections with cameras in use for two years, right-angle crashes decreased 57 percent after one year with cameras, and 86 percent in the second year. Total citations issued after one year decreased 50% from month one to month 12, but decreased 85 percent from month one to month 24 at the locations with longer-running programs.