Content provided by VITRONIC
By Niclas Andersson
Over the past decade, there has been a significant reduction in the number of police interventions for traffic violations in the United States. Law enforcement officers in the U.S. are making less traffic stops now than in earlier years. For example, traffic stops made in Los Angeles in 2023 were more than 50% lower compared to 2019 traffic stops. In Pittsburg traffic stops are down 63% compared to 2017 figures. Traffic stops in Oakland are down 71% since 2016, and Seattle traffic stops are down 83% from 2019 to 2023.
The retreat of law enforcement from American roadways has occurred along with a rise in road fatalities and injuries. As police have withdrawn from their role pulling over speeding cars and reckless drivers, American roads have grown more deadly.
According to a December 2023 Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report, “Roadway fatalities have increased significantly in recent years, a fact that every safety and law enforcement professional knows all too well. In 2022, 42,795 people died in traffic crashes in the United States. That’s an average of 117 people dying on our roads every single day. Traffic deaths surged 30% over the past decade, with nearly 10,000 more fatalities annually when compared to 32,893 in 2013.”
Driving speed greatly impacts the severity of traffic accidents and resulting fatalities. “Speeding-related crashes in the U.S. accounted for 28% of all traffic fatalities in 2023”, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA data also found that the number of people killed in speeding-related traffic crashes climbed 21% from 2018 to 2023.
In addition to speeding, red-light running is another common cause of accidents and fatalities, and their frequency has also increased in recent years. As reported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), “Crashes involving red-light running in the U.S. killed 1,149 people in 2022. Half of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists and people in other vehicles who were hit by the red-light runners. That same year, more than 100,000 people were injured in red-light running crashes, a jump of over 22% compared to 2017.”
Within road work zones, daily changes in traffic patterns, narrowed rights-of-way, and other construction activities often create a combination of factors resulting in crashes, injuries and fatalities. In 2022, there were 891 traffic-related fatalities in work zones in the U.S., with 37,701 people injured, an increase of 18% from 2018 as reported by the NHTSA. Speeding was the leading factor in 34% of work zone fatalities and injuries to drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and workers.
There are numerous types of roads, each presenting unique traffic scenarios. Traffic control applications must be tailored to the specific conditions of each location. The primary goal of traffic management is to ensure safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists while minimizing disruption to the flow of traffic.
Automated traffic enforcement
GHSA believes the expanded use of automated traffic enforcement is essential to reversing the tragic increase in deaths and injuries on U.S. roadways. “When managed correctly, automated enforcement can contribute meaningfully to improved traffic safety and help reverse the rise in traffic fatalities on our roads, potentially saving thousands of lives.”
Automated traffic enforcement uses cameras, radar, and/or lasers to capture evidence of drivers committing moving traffic violations, specifically regarding speeding and red-light transgressions.
While traditional high visibility police enforcement has been an effective countermeasure to reduce traffic violations, automated traffic enforcement programs, when implemented as part of a multidisciplinary approach to traffic safety, are a proven countermeasure for reducing traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities by promoting safer speeds and changing driver behavior.
According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), “Studies show that automated speed enforcement reduces the percentage of speeding vehicles by up to 65% and can cut the number of serious injuries and fatal crashes by up to 44%.”
A 2023 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) comparing large cities with red-light safety cameras to those without, found that automated traffic enforcement devices reduced the fatal red-light running crash rate by 21%, and reduced the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14%.
“Automated speed enforcement, if deployed equitably and applied appropriately to roads with the greatest risk of harm due to speeding, can provide significant safety benefits and save lives”, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in 2022, as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS)
“There are a number of examples of cities deprioritizing traditional traffic enforcement, and then, unfortunately, fatalities surged,” said Adam Snider, Director of Communications for the GHSA. “Consequently, drivers should expect more automated enforcement efforts.”
Radar versus LiDAR in traffic enforcement
The key technologies used in automated traffic enforcement — radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) — have distinct differences that influence their effectiveness, accuracy and practicality.
Radar has been in use for speed and red-light enforcement for several decades. It operates by emitting radio waves in the form of microwave signals and measuring the time it takes for these signals to bounce off a moving vehicle and return to the radar device.
Radar can track multiple vehicles simultaneously and assess their speeds. However, it struggles to distinguish between vehicles in congested traffic or when they are closely spaced. Additionally, its ability to measure speed accurately over short distances is limited. These challenges can lead to less reliable speed readings and an increased likelihood of false readings.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a method for determining ranges by targeting vehicles with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. A LiDAR device, such as the “laser guns” the police are using, emits a single laser beam to capture the speed of one vehicle, pinpointing that vehicle’s speed. As a result, evidence gathered through LiDAR offers a stronger basis for legal cases related to traffic infractions compared to that obtained with radar.
LiDAR may operate in a fixed direction, or it may scan in multiple directions, in which case it is known as scanning LiDAR. Scanning LiDAR provides better range and a larger field of view compared to fixed-direction LiDAR. When compared with radar, scanning LiDAR delivers a major advantage because it provides a broader field of view.
POLISCAN scanning LiDAR
The latest generation of precision technology in automated traffic enforcement is POLISCAN, a scanning LiDAR technology from VITRONIC Machine Vision, who is a world leader in the development of specialized products and software for image-based quality inspection, identification, and process optimization.
The key advantage of POLISCAN systems over radar and other LiDAR technologies in traffic enforcement is its ability to accurately measure, track, and record the movement of each individual vehicle within its field of view, even in complex and congested traffic scenarios with up to six lanes of vehicles moving in both directions. POLISCAN provides an unparalleled level of accuracy and reliability for documenting traffic offenses.
This accuracy is a significant advantage, especially in situations where speed enforcement is crucial for road safety, such as in school and work zones.
With its laser-based technology, POLISCAN offers both very short-range and long-range capabilities, making it adaptable to various speed enforcement scenarios such as inside tunnels, around curves and on hills. The system’s technology emits 158 separate laser beams across the roadway that pulsate 15,000 times per-second, while calculating the time it takes for the reflected light to return. These laser beams create a 3D map of the surrounding environment, allowing for highly accurate vehicle speed measurements.
The scanning LiDAR measurement technology accurately detects the speed of the vehicle as well as the license plate and vehicle class. The vehicle’s direction of travel and lane are also recorded. Thus, the system can be used for speed and red-light enforcement, as well as for automatic license plate recognition (ALPR).
POLISCAN precisely aligns the dual cameras and the scanning LiDAR together. This allows for a very clear attribution of the speed to each violating vehicle in every image, without needing complex site calibration or system setup of radar, which can be prone to failure. The measurement system can be used in stationary, semi-stationary, and mobile applications. It detects traffic offenses without the need for manual operation during ongoing measurement.
As traffic volume increases, POLISCAN enables a connected traffic management system that can oversee and efficiently enforce a multitude of traffic infringements, such as the following:
- Fixed-speed enforcement: Fixed-speed enforcement systems are often placed in permanent roadside housings in areas that are high accident hotspots. POLISCAN systems can be mounted in different design housings for optimum measuring ability.
- Mobile-speed enforcement: Speed enforcement systems must be able to react to acute situations and temporary hotspots, dynamically and flexibly. POLISCAN systems for mobile enforcement make that possible.
- Average-speed enforcement: Long stretches can tempt drivers into speeding, and tunnels are accident hotspots. The POLISCAN system records a vehicle at two points along a certain length of road, calculating its average speed using time-over-distance calculation on any stretch deemed hazardous, and documents the violation.
- Red-light enforcement: The complexity of intersections makes them the most hazardous part of the road. The POLISCAN red-light systems cover a multitude of violations in any type of crossing situation, monitoring several vehicle types across multiple lanes simultaneously. The system’s red-light cameras can be configured to capture multi-documentation, including front and/or rear detection, video, and photo. POLISCAN’s AI-based system can distinguish between pedestrians, cyclists (vulnerable road users, or VRUs), and motorized road users at a pedestrian crossing, where many vehicles fail to give VRUs their right-of-way. The POLISCAN red-light system documents this dangerous violation, along with other common red-light infractions.
- Mobile automatic license plate recognition: Equipped with AI-based ALPR, VITRONIC’s Enforcement Bar can be installed on top of a patrol car. It captures passing vehicles moving in both directions and automatically reads their license plates whether the patrol vehicle is parked or moving at full speed. Lanes to the right and left, as well as the lane in front of the patrol car, are simultaneously monitored. Side-view cameras allow a parked car’s license plates to be processed when passing by. The system automatically compares its read results with databases and flags wanted vehicles immediately. An officer can also enter a partial plate number into the system for optimized searches.
Municipal acceptance of automated traffic enforcement
Although automated traffic enforcement is sometimes discussed as if it was a new countermeasure, it has been used in the U.S. for decades. Speed safety cameras were first deployed in the U.S. in 1987, while red-light safety cameras were first put into use in 1992.
As of November 2023, 24 states and the District of Columbia permit red-light automated safety enforcement by state law, city ordinance, or both. Twenty-five states permit automated speed-safety enforcement. These state laws generally establish guidelines for municipal governments, but some limit the use of automated enforcement to certain cities or specific streets, such as school or work zones. Whereas other states do not have any laws addressing the use of automated enforcement, deferring decisions to municipalities.
The number of communities using automated speed safety enforcement increased from 211 at the end of 2023, to 222 as of March 2024, according to the IIHS. This growth comes as communities are allowed to use federal funds for such technology. When the U.S. Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021, it granted states the ability to use NHTSA grant funding for automated enforcement to address speeding and red-light running in school and work zones only. Previously, Congress had long banned the use of federal funds for automated enforcement. Under this new allowance, states are permitted to use funding provided under the State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program.
Critics of automated speed and red-light enforcement argue that these systems primarily serve to generate revenue for law enforcement agencies and technology providers. However, the true objective is to deter violations rather than simply catch offenders. Signs and publicity campaigns often inform drivers that photo enforcement is in place. While fines from violators do generate revenue, this is a common aspect of all traffic enforcement programs. The ultimate goal is to enhance compliance with safety laws by changing driver behavior. Ideally, as drivers stop running red lights or speeding, revenue from automated enforcement will decrease.
Automated enforcement can also address inequities present in traditional traffic enforcement, since these systems do not see race, nationality, gender, or other unique characteristics. However, community engagement and careful consideration of where automated enforcement systems are placed, why those sites are selected, and what information will be captured, is vital to building support for an automated enforcement program.
Another important issue is how automated traffic enforcement can support police staffing shortages and officer safety. Police funding cuts, and shortages in recruitment and retention of officers, have contributed to a reduction in traffic enforcement in many cities because of the pressure to downsize from their communities, resulting in police staffing shortages. Also contributing has been police withdrawal from enforcing traffic violations to better protect themselves, as traffic stops are one of the major causes of police confrontations. Automated traffic enforcement removes the burden of responsibility and confrontation liability of routine traffic stops from law enforcement officers. This permits police resources to be redirected, allowing officers to focus their time on other critical law enforcement needs.
Since government provides a range of services in response to road crashes – such as fire and emergency medical services at the crash site, incident management services, police services, and coroner or medical examiner services – the financial cost of accidents, including those with death or injury, to a community can be extensive. The cost of managing traffic accidents in most countries, including those in the western world, is estimated to be around 3% of their GDP**. In 2023, 40,990 Americans died in road crashes, a 25% increase from a decade earlier in 2013, and a 15% increase in fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel***. The cost to state and local governments is in the billions of dollars annually. Automated traffic enforcement can reduce the costs to communities while saving lives and reducing injuries, which is where the largest and most important impacts are seen.
A critical aspect supporting the community’s acceptance of automated enforcement is the quality of the technology. If the technology selected for implementation is of poor quality, the public may question its credibility. Municipalities should consider factors such as the accuracy and image quality of photographs, and the reliability, accuracy and thresholds set for enforcement such as speed and signal timing, which should be reasonable and publicly justifiable.
Any automated traffic enforcement program that is perceived to be revenue-focused, inaccurate, or implemented in a section of a community without justification will ultimately prove unsuccessful. Therefore, it is up to elected officials, law enforcement professionals, transportation engineers, community leaders, and service providers to help guide the automated enforcement implementation process, and secure resources such as funding, data and technical expertise for communities seeking to implement a program.
*Automated Enforcement in a New Era, GHSA, December 2023.
**World Health Organization, December 2023.
***Addressing America’s Traffic Safety Crisis: Examining the Causes of Increasing U.S. Traffic Fatalities and Identifying Solutions to Improve Traffic Safety, TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, July 2024.
About VITRONIC Machine Vision
VITRONIC is the world’s leading innovation driver for machine vision, enabling its customers to master the challenges of tomorrow.
The company develops forward-looking solutions in the form of specialized products and software for image-based quality inspection, identification and process optimization, which find application in the growth sectors of automation and traffic engineering. The existing limits of what is economically feasible are constantly being questioned in order to achieve the highest quality and productivity, for example in the production of automotive and pharmaceutical companies. VITRONIC solutions make an important contribution to helping shape a safe and sustainable world.
Since its founding in 1984, VITRONIC has been growing continuously for almost 40 years. The company is currently represented on five continents in over 80 countries with more than 1,300 employees. VITRONIC subsidiaries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as a worldwide network of sales and service partners, provide local support to international customers.
For more information contact VITRONIC Machine Vision North America; 11900 Plantside Drive, Suite G, Louisville, KY 40299; email traffic.us@vitronic.com; Phone 1-502-266-2699; www.vitronic.com.