Prop 319 Debate on Arizona PBS KAET Thursday at 5 and 10pm
Arizona voters will have several ballot propositions this fall. One that hasn’t gotten much attention yet is Proposition 319, the Legislature’s referral micromanaging photo enforcement of traffic laws including red light running cameras. It even slams the door on cities that might want to use red light running cameras and school zone speed cameras in the future.
We urge you to vote No.
While most people probably think of photo speed radar as those irritating cameras that catch people speeding (I get it), that’s not the part of this proposition that’s bad.
I’m much more interested in red-light cameras because those are proven to prevent violent and deadly T-bone crashes that kill and badly injure people.
Think about what happens when somebody blows through a red light at a busy intersection (you probably saw it happen this week).
The driver who has a green light presses ahead only to have the driver coming from the right or left blow through the intersection. The result is a catastrophic T-bone collision. Same thing for someone patiently waiting to turn left only to have the oncoming driver plow into the passenger side. Same deadly result.
Unlike a lot of traffic crashes, the person who gets badly hurt or killed isn’t necessarily the person breaking the law.
In fact, in 2024 1,119 people were killed nationally in crashes involving red-light running and more than 141,000 were injured. Half of the people killed were pedestrians, bicyclists or occupants of other vehicles hit by the red-light runner.
That’s where red-light cameras come in.
Do They Work?
Yes.
A large Federal Highway Administration study examined 132 intersections in seven jurisdictions and found that red-light cameras reduced T-bone crashes by 25%.
There’s even evidence from cities that have turned the cameras off.
Researchers found that cities with red-light camera programs had a 21% lower fatal red-light-running crash rate than would otherwise have been expected. In 14 cities that discontinued their programs, the fatal red-light-running crash rate afterward was 30% higher than researchers estimated it would have been if the cameras had stayed on.
Are intersection cameras perfect? Of course not.
They can increase rear-end crashes as some drivers stop abruptly. The same federal study found about a 15% increase in those crashes.
But… those rear enders are mostly injury free and much less violent when compared to violent right-angle crashes. When researchers put both effects together, the reduction in those violent side-impact crashes outweighed the additional costs associated with rear-end crashes.
That’s exactly how public health should work. Look at all the evidence and choose the intervention that produces the better overall outcome.
Here’s the Catch in Prop. 319
If Prop. 319 merely preempted future non-school zone speed radar (and not the intersection red light cameras) I’d be OK with that. I’m also OK with making jurisdictions asking the city and town residents to periodically validate Council decisions to implement photo enforcement on the ballot.
But that’s not what it does.
Under Prop. 319, an Arizona city or state agency can use photo enforcement only if it has a signed contract in place by December 31, 2026. Communities with existing programs would then have to get voter approval to continue them, with another vote every ten years.
Imagine a fast-growing Arizona community that doesn’t need red-light cameras today.
10 years from now, the population has doubled. Traffic patterns have changed. A particular intersection has become super dangerous. People are getting seriously hurt in T-bone crashes.
The police chief and Council think a red-light camera would help. Traffic engineers agree. The mayor and city council agree. Even the residents agree.
No Dice.
If that community didn’t have a contract by the end of 2026, Prop. 319 says they can never do it in the future. Ever.
We shouldn’t make a permanent traffic-safety decision today for communities that haven’t even encountered tomorrow’s problems yet.
That’s why I’m voting No on Prop. 319.
Sources
- Federal Highway Administration — Safety Evaluation of Red-Light Cameras
Large study of 132 intersections in seven jurisdictions; found about a 25% reduction in right-angle crashes and a 16% reduction in injury-producing right-angle crashes.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/05049/ - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — Effects of Turning Red-Light Cameras On and Off
Multi-city study finding a 21% reduction in fatal red-light-running crash rates associated with camera programs and higher fatal crash rates after programs were discontinued. https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/bibliography/ref/2121 - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — Red-Light Running
National statistics on deaths and injuries from red-light-running crashes, including the finding that roughly half of those killed are people other than the red-light runner. https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/red-light-running - Federal Highway Administration — Red-Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines
Guidance on engineering studies, appropriate camera placement, public oversight and avoiding vendor compensation based on citations. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/safety/safe_mrt_redlight.pdf - Arizona Department of Transportation — Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Arizona’s statewide traffic-safety strategy, including intersection safety as a major focus. https://azdot.gov/planning/traffic-safety/strategic-highway-safety-plan
