Australian Territory Orders More Speed Cameras Despite Accident Increase
Australian Capital Territory will increase speed cameras in wake of report that finds accidents have increased where they were used since 2006.

Serious accidents increased where speed cameras were used in the Australian Capital Territory according to a report released Thursday by ACT officials who cited the finding as a reason to install more cameras. The much delayed evaluation examined accident records at 121 locations, half with and half without automated ticketing machines, from 1994 to 2012.

According to the analysis, since 2006 serious crashes increased 7.1 percent at the locations with speed camera enforcement compared to a 1.4 percent increase at control intersections that had no cameras. Similarly, the report found no benefit from the use of red light cameras.

"Trends in crash counts for [red light camera] intersections showed an increase in crashes following the introduction of the fixed cameras followed by a decline to rates slightly lower than baseline levels," the report concluded. "On the other hand, crash counts for control intersections were relatively consistent before and after." http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/47/4702.asp