According to state crash data, half of the red light cameras intersections in 14 suburban towns saw increases in collisions.

The Tribune, via Chicago Breaking News, in a series of exposes on RLCs, is demonstrating once again how red light cameras are failing to increase safety, but in many cases are seen to be undermining safety and increasing crashes.

At Mannheim and St. Charles roads in Bellwood, collisions rose from 17 the year before cameras appeared to 24 the year after. Melrose Park put a camera at 1st and North avenues, near the now-closed Kiddieland Amusement Park, and crashes increased from 56 the year before installation to 73 the year after.

Of course, somehow, impossibly, shockingly, the crash data from each of the villages with cameras are showing a decline in crashes at the RLC intersections.

According to the article, some of the increases in collisions is because rear-end collisions jumped at RLC intersections. However, in some cases the more dangerous, broadside crashes have decreased.

This article does nothing to diminish the widely held belief that red light cameras are about revenue under the pretense of safety.

Read the full article, “Red-light cameras: First 14 in suburbs show mixed results,” and I’ll let you decide whether RLCs are about safety or revenue.

Kudos to Bob Secter and Erika Slife on the great reporting.