--- description: A new study links red light cameras to a coinciding rise in rear-end collisions, casting doubts on claims that the mounted cameras improve safety at intersections. title: Red Light Cams Linked to Increased Rear-End Collisions in Chicago image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c9260d5878efc5b/698770473c16395f1f450cb3/456063484.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Automobiles](/tag/automobiles/) ## Automobiles Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Red Light Cams Linked to Increased Rear-End Collisions in Chicago  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 20, 2014 9:42 PM CUT  Speed cameras capture motorists on I-395 near 2nd Street NW in Washington, DC on June 7, 2012. Speed cameras capture motorists on I-395 near 2nd Street NW in Washington, DC on June 7, 2012.Daniel Britt—Washington Post/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 20, 2014 9:42 PM CUT A new Chicago-focused study links red light cameras to a coinciding rise in rear-end collisions, casting doubts on claims that the mounted cameras improve safety at intersections. The study’s findings, [published](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/redlight/ct-red-light-camera-safety-met-20141219-story.html#page=1 "undefined") by the Chicago _Tribune_ Friday, found that while traffic cameras appeared to reduce injuries by 15% for collisions at right angles, where one car crashes head-on into the side of another car, those improvements were overshadowed by a 22% increase in injuries from rear-end accidents. Taken together, the study shows a statistically insignificant increase of injuries by 5%. ### See The Militarization of US Police Forces Over The Years  Three policemen taking away a civil rights protester during race riots in Newark, N.J., 1967. Evans/Getty Images  Police officers at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August, 1968. Maury Englander—FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images  Police arrest a protestor during an Earth Day demonstration at Boston's Logan Airport, August, 1970. Spencer Grant—Getty Images  A police officer with a tear gas gun during an anti-Ku Klux Klan protest in Washington D.C., November, 1982. Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images  Police chase a demonstrator involved in a protest over the death of a black teen-ager killed by a white assailant in Brooklyn, N.Y., 1989. Gerald Herbert—New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images  Houston police officers arrest a pro-immigration demonstrator in Houston for protesting in the wrong place, August, 1992. Walt Freck—AFP/Getty Images  Washington D.C. police officers gather outside the World Bank as protesters mass, April, 2000. Luke Frazze—AFP/Getty Images  Police in riot gear and armed with pepper spray at an anti-war protest in Chicago, March, 2003. Scott Olson—Getty Images  A Washington, D.C., police officer pepper sprays demonstrators after a barricade along Pennsylvania Avenue was pulled down during the inaugural parade, January 20, 2005. Emile Wamsteker—Bloomberg News  A police officer stands guard during the G20 protests in Pittsburgh, September, 2009. Jason Andrew—Getty Images  A man backs away as police close in on him during unrest in Ferguson, Mo. following Michael Brown's death, Aug. 11, 2014. Whitney Curtis—The New York Times  Police fire tear gas after protesters threw bottles in Ferguson, Mo., Aug. 18, 2014. David Carson—St Louis Post-Dispatch/Polaris The results come amid Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s push to mount cameras on traffic lights city wide. The programs have attracted a growing backlash from critics who question its safety benefits and worry the program will lead to a swelling of ticket payments. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3643077/red-light-cams-rear-end-collisions-chicago/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3643077/red-light-cams-rear-end-collisions-chicago/"},"headline":"Red Light Cams Linked to Increased Rear-End Collisions in Chicago","datePublished":"2014-12-20T21:42:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:33.625Z","description":"New study casts doubts on the claims that cameras improve road safety","url":"https://time.com/3643077/red-light-cams-rear-end-collisions-chicago/","keywords":["Automobiles","tickets","chicago"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c9260d5878efc5b/698770473c16395f1f450cb3/456063484.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c9260d5878efc5b/698770473c16395f1f450cb3/456063484.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 7: Speed cameras capture motorists on I","caption":"WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 7: Speed cameras capture motorists on I","creditText":"Daniel Britt—Washington Post/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/automobiles/","name":"Automobiles"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3643077/red-light-cams-rear-end-collisions-chicago/","name":"Red Light Cams Linked to Increased Rear-End Collisions in Chicago"}}]}] ```