Three drivers die every day in Arizona.

In 2022, Arizona had 17.7 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people. The national average is 12.8.

Our fatality rate is 1.71 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles. The national average is 1.33.

We have the nation’s highest rate of red-light fatalities.

Want to save these lives?

Write to the city of Phoenix. They’re currently considering the widespread deployment of red-light and speed-enforcement cameras. Tell them to do it.

And write to your state legislator. They’ve tried multiple times to ban these traffic cameras.

8 reasons why Arizona needs more traffic cameras

Tempe recently reintroduced red-light cameras in the city, joining cities like Scottsdale, Mesa and Goodyear that already have them.

The case for red-light and speed cameras is straightforward and overwhelming:

  • They save lives. The evidence here is consistent. A University of Arizona study of Phoenix found that red light cameras reduced deaths and injuries by 28%. Similarly, a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that photo enforcement “reduced the fatal red light running crash rate of large cities by 21% and the rate of all types of fatal crashes … by 14%.” And a 2017 assessment of Scottsdale discovered that traffic speed cameras reduced “speed-related crashes [by] 65 percent.”
  • They save money. Every accident is expensive. That’s especially true if it takes somebody out of the workforce. The Federal Highway Administration found that large cities that deploy traffic cameras reap millions of dollars per year in property-damage savings alone.
  • Cameras don’t discriminate. They don’t discriminate based on race, sex, how sporty your car is or whether you have the stickers that show you donate to the police (my mom had those on her car when I grew up in Utah).
  • They’re safer for law enforcement. Routine traffic stops by police officers — whether for speeding or running a red light — can be dangerous. They cause confrontations that can lead to violence against the police officer. Simply being on the side of the road, outside the vehicle, is a dangerous situation for a police officer. It’s perhaps for this reason that police organizations, like the Arizona Police Association, overwhelmingly support photo enforcement.
  • They’re a better use of law enforcement. Police officers are highly trained specialists. And we don’t have enough of them. Officers should focus on serious crimes and the necessary training to succeed in these challenging environments, not spend countless hours watching cars drive by.
  • There are no off hours. Drivers are least safe at night. That’s also when we have fewer police officers on the roads. And for those officers who are on night duty, I’d imagine it’s a grind that nobody wants to do for multiple years. Street cameras don’t need to sleep. They don’t need breaks. They are just as present and just as effective during the night as they are during the day.
  • Tickets are reviewable. Traffic photos are reviewed by trained human officers before they are issued to the driver. The driver always has a right to challenge.
  • They are lawful. Weirdly, some state legislators think traffic cameras are unlawful, despite having had them in parts of Arizona for many years. They’re not. They’re lawful. Both state and federal courts have consistently ruled in their favor.

If you turn on Fox 10, ABC 15, AZ Family or 12 News at night, you’re going to hear about a horrible accident.

We already have the tools to improve this situation.

Let’s use them.