“Red Light Cameras” make intersections more dangerous

The premise is simple: If drivers know they’ll get an automatic ticket if they run a red light, they’ll be more careful when approaching an intersection. But that premise is also apparently flawed.
 
Study after study has shown that “Red Light Cameras” are actually causing more accidents and serious injuries than they are preventing, and a recent in-depth study conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida shows the problem to be even worse than previously thought.
 
There are two primary reasons for the failure of those now ubiquitous cameras to fulfill their lofty mission:
 
1 – More drivers are now slamming on their brakes at the last second when the intersection in front of them is actually clear in order to avoid getting a ticket, resulting in record numbers of rear-end collisions.
 
2 – Many municipalities have reduced the time that the yellow “warning” light stays on in order to generate more tickets (and revenue), causing even more brake slamming and collisions.
 
Of course these studies aren’t likely to prompt many municipalities to remove the cameras from their intersections because of the revenue they generate. But then again these types of “safety devices” and policy changes are rarely implemented in the name of safety – it’s almost always about increasing revenue.