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Crashes Reduced At LI Intersections With Red Light Cameras

MINEOLA, NY (AP / WCBS 880) - Red light traffic cameras in Nassau County have reduced traffic accidents an average of 12-to-16 percent at 40 intersections.

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs On The Story

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The country began the program in August 2009. It installed cameras at 50 intersections, the maximum allowed by state law.

The Nassau County Traffic Safety Board examined accident data at 40 of the 50 intersections.

At 32 intersections where the county compared 12 months of data before and after cameras were installed, there was an average 12.3 percent reduction in crashes.

One intersection at the Roosevelt Field mall showed a steep increase. That increase was blamed on poor signage.

Another eight intersections with six months of before and after data saw an average 15.5 percent decline in crashes.

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs asked one driver who got caught by a red light camera if it has changed his driving habits.

"Absolutely," the driver said. "It's not worth the $75 fine to get somewhere an extra twenty seconds early."

Chris Mistron, who helped develop the program, told Newsday lower speeds mean less violent crashes.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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