WHEREAS, Research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demonstrates that running red lights and other traffic controls is the most frequent type of urban motor vehicle crash (where the crash produces an injury); and

WHEREAS, Motorists are highly likely to be injured in crashes involving red light running because many such crashes involve a side impact to one of the vehicles where occupant protection is less substantial, or to pedestrians who are unprotected; and

WHEREAS, The severity of property damage due to vehicle intrusion and deformation causes enormous annual losses; and

WHEREAS, Department of Transportation studies show that red light running is a frequent event, with one community study showing, on average, a motorist running a red light every 12 minutes; and

WHEREAS, Traditional traffic law enforcement techniques often require an officer to follow the offender through a red light, making such enforcement difficult and dangerous in urban areas; and

WHEREAS, According to the Australian Ministry of Transportation, red light cameras have been shown to reduce violations and crashes, producing a 32% decrease in right-angle collisions and a 10% reduction in injuries after the cameras were installed in Victoria, Australia, and have shown to be effective in a number of communities in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The American public strongly believes that red light running is a major traffic safety problem and also strongly supports the use of red light cameras. According to a survey conducted by the Insurance Institute, Seventy-seven percent of northern Virginians polled rated red light running as a problem, with forty-seven percent saying it was a big problem, and thirty percent as a medium; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the International Association of Chiefs of Police, duly assembled at its 105th annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, supports the use of red light cameras at intersections for more effective and efficient traffic law enforcement, in conjunction with normal enforcement efforts, as well as the adoption of the necessary legislative and administrative measures to facilitate their use; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the IACP will encourage state and local governments to use the cameras in locations where they will most effectively supplement traditional law enforcement efforts.