Before-After Crash Analysis:Evaluation of Red Light Cameras in Opelika

1. Before-After Crash Analysis:
Evaluation of Red Light
Cameras in Opelika
Fatemeh Baratian Ghorghi
PhD Student at:
Auburn University, Department of Civil Engineering
November 14, 2014

2. INTRODUCTION
• Background (what was RLR?)
• RLC in Opelika
• Literature Review
• Objectives
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Conclusion

3. What Was RLR?
• RLR crash, the most common/most severe type of crash
• More than 165,000 injuries in 2008
• RLC supplement Law enforcement efforts
• National Survey
• Opponents: a tool to gather revenue
• No study evaluates the effectiveness of RLCs in AL
• Safety benefits

4. RLC in Opelika
• April 1, 2013
• The overall safety effect is not clear.

5. Past findings of safety effects
• Reduced right-angle crashes (injury and fatal) 19% - 32%
• Increased rear-end crashes (PDO) up to 40%

6. DATA COLLECTION
• CARE
• Crashes due to RLR violation
• Rear-end crashes (RLC)
• Not clearly defined in crash reports : 2 filters

7. DATA COLLECTION
• RLR Crashes
• RE Crashes

8. DATA COLLECTION
• Before: April 2010 –April 2013
• After: April 2013 –April 2014
• What about newly updated data?
• April 2014- July 2014

9. DATA COLLECTION
• To calculate the average annual crash rate: If you use the available crash
data from April 2013 to July 2013, you are overestimating the crash
numbers.

10. DATA COLLECTION
• Factors:
• Severity
• Manner of crash
• Number of injured
• Number of killed
• Road names
• Node numbers
• Lat/Long
Crash Location

11. DATA COLLECTION

12. DATA COLLECTION
• NOD#59

13. DATA COLLECTION

14. DATA ANALYSIS
• RLR Crashes
• Before: April 2010 –April2013 (Averages are used)
• Before Crash
Intersection
(BEFORE)
April 2010 –
April2013
Severity
Number
Injured
Number
Killed
Number
crashPDO
Possible
Injury
Non-
Incapacitatin
g Injury
Incapacitating
Injury
Pepperell
Parkway&
Gateway Drive
1.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 2.3 0.0 2.7
Interstate Dr &
Gateway Drive
1.7 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 2.0
Fredrick Rd &
Gateway Drive
0.7 0.3 0.7 0.0 2.3 0.0 1.7
Fox Run Pkwy& W
Point Ave
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 4.0 0.7 1.0 0.7 5.0 0.0 6.3

15. DATA ANALYSIS
• RLR Crashes
• After: April 2013- April 2014
• Before Crash
Intersection
(AFTER)
April 2013 – April
2014
Severity
Number
Injured
Number
Killed
Number
crashPDO
Possible
Injury
Non-
Incapacitatin
g Injury
Incapacitating
Injury
Pepperell
Parkway&
Gateway Drive
1 0 0 1 1 0 2
Interstate Dr &
Gateway Drive
2 3 1 0 6 0 6
Fredrick Rd &
Gateway Drive
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fox Run Pkwy& W
Point Ave
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 3 3 1 1 7 0 8

16. Percentage of Change
• RLR Crashes
• Before Crash
Intersection
Severity
Number
Injured
Number
Killed
Number
crashPDO
Possible
Injury
Non-
Incapacitatin
g Injury
Incapacitating
Injury
Pepperell
Parkway&
Gateway Drive
-40 -100 -100 200 -57.1429 - -25
Interstate Dr &
Gateway Drive
20 Increase by 3
Increase by
1
-100 1700 - 200
Fredrick Rd &
Gateway Drive
-100 -100 -100 - -100 - -100
Fox Run Pkwy& W
Point Ave
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total -25.0 350.0 0.0 50.0 40.0 - 26.3

17. DATA ANALYSIS
• RE Crashes
• Before: April 2010 –April2013
• Before Crash
Intersection
(BEFORE)
April 2010 –
April2013
Severity
Number
Injured
Number
Killed
Number
crashPDO
Possible
Injury
Non-
Incapacitatin
g Injury
Incapacitating
Injury
Pepperell
Parkway&
Gateway Drive
5.0 0.7 0.7 0.3 2.0 0.0 6.7
Interstate Dr &
Gateway Drive
4.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 4.3
Fredrick Rd &
Gateway Drive
8.3 0.7 0.3 0.0 1.0 0.0 9.3
Fox Run Pkwy& W
Point Ave
3.7 1.3 0.0 0.0 1.7 0.0 5.0
Total 21.0 3.0 1.0 0.3 5.0 0.0 25.3

18. DATA ANALYSIS
• RE Crashes
• After: April 2013- April 2014
• Before Crash
Intersection
(AFTER)
April 2013 – April
2014
Severity
Number
Injured
Number
Killed
Number
crashPDO
Possible
Injury
Non-
Incapacitatin
g Injury
Incapacitating
Injury
Pepperell
Parkway&
Gateway Drive
27 5 1 1 1 0 34
Interstate Dr &
Gateway Drive
34 10 5 1 24 0 50
Fredrick Rd &
Gateway Drive
29 7 0 1 12 0 37
Fox Run Pkwy& W
Point Ave
16 0 0 0 0 0 16
Total 106 22 6 3 37 0 137

19. Percentage of Change
• RE Crashes
• Before Crash
Intersection
Severity
Number
Injured
Number
Killed
Number
crashPDO
Possible
Injury
Non-
Incapacitatin
g Injury
Incapacitating
Injury
Pepperell
Parkway&
Gateway Drive
440 650 50 200 -50 - 410
Interstate Dr &
Gateway Drive
750 2900 Increase by 5 Increase by 1 7100 - 1054
Fredrick Rd &
Gateway Drive
248 950 -100 Increase by 1 1100 - 296
Fox Run Pkwy& W
Point Ave
336 -100 - - -100 - 220
Total 405 633 500
Increase by
2.7
640 - 441

20. DATA ANALYSIS

21. DATA ANALYSIS

22. What to Do?
• Reviewing hardcopies
• Colleting larger number of crashes
• Using ADT
• EB method

23. Thank You!