Automated Enforcement Program |
MARYLAND |
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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1995, red light violations
led to more than 3,500 traffic crashes in Maryland, resulting
in injuries to 4,256 people and claiming 34 lives. Howard County,
Maryland, located in the Baltimore-Washington, DC corridor, is
diverse in character with large urban areas. Motorists running
red lights and violating other traffic control devices is the
number one cause of crashes in urban areas, and Howard County
residents and traffic safety officials were becoming increasingly
concerned about the escalation in red light and other violations.
A public opinion survey revealed disturbing attitudes; that existing
enforcement efforts were less than adequate, and most respondents
thought stop light violations were either not enforced or enforced
only occasionally.
The challenges for Howard County enforcement officials were to correct public perception about the seriousness that the county viewed (and enforced) red light violations; and to reduce red light violations without endangering the public during typical enforcement activities, such as pursuits.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Howard County Department of Police's Automated
Enforcement Program was to reduce fatalities and injuries resulting
from non-compliance with automated traffic signals. The objectives
of the program were to:
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The preparatory activities of the Automated Enforcement Program,
which began in 1994, were supported by seed money from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and involved establishing
a baseline of information with which to measure progress in meeting
program goals and objectives. Baseline activities included measuring
public opinion regarding red light violations, collecting data
on violation rates, and determining collision data related to
red light violations. After baseline data were collected and analyzed,
the 15 to 20 intersections which comprised the majority of junctures
where collisions were caused by red light violations were identified.
Using Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) funds, the county next embarked on a two year campaign
of public awareness and technology trials beginning in the Fall
of 1996. Having conducted team enforcement operations for several
years, it was concluded that, although a valuable tool in reducing
red light violations, team enforcement was cost-prohibitive for
continuous usemoreover, enforcement personnel found team
enforcement to have limited results. The most valuable enforcement
tool appeared to be installation of automated cameras positioned
at the most critical locations. A six-month trial was conducted,
with warnings sent to violators of automated signals. The results
of this trial were sufficient to garner support from the Maryland
Legislature, leading to enactment of a new state law, in October
1997, allowing law enforcement officials to issue citations from
observations by the automated cameras. The new Automated Enforcement
Program is designed to be self-supporting through the payment
of fines for red light violations.
RESULTS Law enforcement agencies began issuing citations under the new law in March, 1998. An evaluation component was built into the new program, and first-year results from the effort will be available in 1999. |
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
Spring 1998 |