Safer Streets L.A.also reviewed violation rates at the 32 Los Angeles intersections equipped with red-light cameras. The group found rolling-right-turn violation rates at the top ten of those intersections ranged from 88 to 97 percent, while only 3 to 12 percent of the violations were for the running of red lights.
Gary Biller, Executive Director of the National Motorists Association (www.motorists.org), commented after reviewing the study that, "Tens of thousands of Los Angeles commuters are being tagged with rolling-right-turn tickets annually at $466 per citation. Based on this research by Safer Streets L.A., it is clear that the L.A. red-light camera program exists only to generate traffic fines, not to improve intersection safety."
TheNewspaper.com put the odds of an accident caused by a rolling right turn in even more dramatic terms: "A review of US Department of Transportation statistics shows that an average motorist could drive a billion miles -- the distance from Earth to Jupiter and back -- before being involved in an accident that resulted from a motorist making a rolling stop on a right-hand turn."
At a time when the City of Los Angeles is considering a multi-year, multi-million dollar taxpayer obligation to extend its red-light camera program, the Safer Streets L.A. study raises the pertinent question of whether that is a legitimate use of city and law enforcement resources.
"How Dangerous Is A Rolling Right Turn?" can be viewed and downloaded for free at www.saferstreetsla.org.
Contact: Jay Beeber Executive Director Safer Streets L.A. Email: jay@saferstreetsla.org Phone: (505) 500-4790
Website: www.saferstreetsla.org