Hamilton: Better or Worse? Red light cameras and accidents

Red light cameras make municipalities money Hamilton took in some $5-million in fines in 2013 alone but do they save lives? Do they prevent accidents from happening?

• Number of Hamilton drivers ticketed for running red lights doubles

Five year data doesn't show any significant difference they have been effective at reducing collisions in Hamilton.

CBC Hamilton graphed four groupings of City of Hamilton data on red light cameras from 2009 to 2013 to show the rate of accidents over a five year period didn't drop after the $100,000 cameras were installed. In some cases, like Bay & Main Streets, Kennilworth & Cannon and MainEast & Sanford, they went up.

Take a look:

City Core

Intersection (Red light camera installation)

Cannon & Hess (Aug. 2008);Dundurn & King (Aug. 2009);Dundurn & Main (Aug. 2009);Bay & Main (EB- Oct. 2010, SB- Oct. 2012);Longwood & Main (Nov. 2013)

East Hamilton

Burlington & Gage (Aug. 2008);Kenilworth & Cannon (Oct. 2010); Main & Sanford (Oct. 2012)

Mountain (one of two charts)

Stone Church & Upper Wentworth (Jul. 2008); Paramount & Mud (July 2008)

Mountain (second of two charts)

Brantdale & Upper James (Oct. 2012); Mohawk & Upper Gage (Nov. 2013)