East Point PD looks to red light cameras at dangerous intersections

East Point is looking at installing red-light cameras at "at various intersections throughout the city that have statically shown high accident rates," according to a city document.

The goal is to curb reckless driving, according to city documents.

At least three of these high-tech camera could be watching traffic and waiting to get a snapshot of scofflaw ignoring a stop signal, according to the request for proposal posted on East Point's website.

The document does not identify which intersections where drivers and cars would be photographed. There also aren't any statistics of car crashes in the city.

But the proposal quotes findings to show these cameras improve safety:

Studies have shown that installation of red-light camera systems save lives. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found red light safety cameras lowered red-light running fatalities by 24% and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 17% in a study of 14 large U.S. cities. Source: “Effects of Red Light Camera Enforcement on Fatal Crashes in Large U.S. Cities.” Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, February 2011.

Here are reports exploring whether the camera are a municipal money maker or safety tool:

• NPR


• A pro and con argument about the cameras


• Governors Highway Safety Association

Sealed bids are due July 9.