FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INFORMATION
OFFICER:
September 14, 2007 Lt.
Wm. Funkhouser
(314) 442-2076
Creve Coeur Improves Public Safety
through Automated Enforcement
CREVE COEUR – To improve public safety at our signalized intersections, the
city launched automated enforcement - commonly referred to as “photo
enforcement” or “red light cameras” – on
While the system is
administered by American Traffic Solutions, a Creve Coeur police officer
decides whether a violation notice is issued. The automated enforcement system
works by capturing digital images and video of a vehicle violating a traffic
signal. The images show the light being red, the vehicle in the intersection,
and the license plate of the vehicle. A police officer reviews all of the
evidence and determines if a violation occurred. If approved by a police
officer, the registered owner of the vehicle is sent a violation notice by
mail. The violation notice includes a password protected link, where the
vehicle owner can log on to and view video of the violation. Much like a
parking ticket, the registered owner and not necessarily the driver is
responsible for the violation notice.
Year in
and year out, the City of
Additionally, from 2004 through 2006, Creve Coeur police officers issued 3205
traffic summonses for signal violations. The intersections where these crashes
most often occur are the intersections where enforcement is most difficult to
perform because of the heavy traffic volume. The Police Department also finds
it increasingly difficult to effectively and consistently implement an
enforcement strategy to deal with this problem, while at the same time
continuing to provide efficient service to citizens in other areas of concern.
Nationwide and internationally, statistics have shown that automated
enforcement at signalized intersections increases motorist compliance, thereby
reducing the number of red light violations, and reducing motor vehicle
collisions and injuries needlessly suffered by the motoring public. Several
jurisdictions statewide are moving forward toward use of automated enforcement
to assist with the enforcement of red light violations. Using cameras
positioned at high risk intersections is the most effective way to catch
careless motorists who threaten the lives of innocent drivers.
Traffic signal violations or running a red light, as it is often referred to,
is a major problem in Creve Coeur and nationwide. Multiple studies by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety have concluded that red light violations are a
leading cause of urban traffic collisions. The safety and financial
implications from these studies is staggering. It is estimated that over 900
deaths occur each year as a result of red light violations. In addition to the
number of deaths, over 200,000 injury and non-injury collisions occur at a
financial cost exceeding $7 billion annually because motorists violate red
lights.
Studies on the effect of red light cameras have been conducted by several
groups, publicly and privately funded. On average, communities using automated
traffic signal enforcement experienced a 40-50 percent drop in red light
violations and a similar drop in violations at unmonitored intersections.
Typically, areas saw a drop in injury crashes in the 25-30 percent range.
American Traffic
Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of technology and business solutions that
support the growing worldwide requirements for electronic toll and traffic
enforcement. ATS provides services to nearly 100 clients with more than
850 camera systems throughout the
There will be further
information posted on the city’s Web site at http://www.creve-coeur.org/photo-enforcement.htm.
The city believes that automated enforcement will help make our city safer by
reducing the number of red light violations.
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