>This is false; the road cameras don't actually improve the road safety — they highly increase rear-end collisions.
Driving dangerously and then slamming on the brakes to avoid getting caught by the camera increases rear-end collisions. If you drive sensibly to begin with it isn't an issue. If you are driving sensibly then it's the other drivers fault for not allowing enough stopping distance. In neither case are the cameras at fault.
I am so sick of this pity seeking everyone's-at-fault-but-me attitude. If you are driving the vehicle then you are solely responsible for obeying the road rules.
I think it's pretty well established at this point that at least some of the cities that have installed red light cameras have also shortened yellow lights, leading to exactly the behavior described by the GP and the increase in rear-end collisions.
I would tend to assume that "The National Motorists Association" has some pro-car and anti-enforcement bias. Nonetheless, the links are to a third-party site that links directly to local news sources. Feel free to evaluate them as you see fit.
I find it hard to imagine that there's a traffic-engineering reason to shorten yellow lights at intersections with red light cameras, and find the GP's claim that [in many cases] they're an instance of policing for revenue to be credible.
Driving dangerously and then slamming on the brakes to avoid getting caught by the camera increases rear-end collisions. If you drive sensibly to begin with it isn't an issue. If you are driving sensibly then it's the other drivers fault for not allowing enough stopping distance. In neither case are the cameras at fault.
I am so sick of this pity seeking everyone's-at-fault-but-me attitude. If you are driving the vehicle then you are solely responsible for obeying the road rules.