2/4 RoundTable: Red Light Cameras and Youth Driving Safety

By KRUI Reporter Caitlin Fry

Recently, the Iowa City City Council approved the second reading on the ordinance amendment that would allow red light cameras on certain Iowa City intersections with a 4-3 vote. Those in favor of the red light cameras believe it will cut down on traffic accidents and increase safety for drivers and pedestrians. Those who oppose the red light cameras argue that they are unnecessary and that any tickets issued from a citation will be received after the action that warrants it.

For Saturday, February 4th’s RoundTable discussion, the KRUI News staff hosted two transportation experts to discuss the red light camera proposal, teenage driving laws, and vehicle safety technologies.

Daniel McGehee joined the News Staff in the studio and he is a research scientist and director of the Public Policy Center’s Human Factors and Vehicle Safety Research Program. His interests are in driver performance and behavior, interface design, technology testing and evaluation, and safety policy. He has been at the University of Iowa since 1993 and previously worked in the advanced flight deck research department at Boeing.

Dr. Shauna Hallmark joined the discussion through a call-in from Ames, Iowa where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at Iowa State University. Dr. Hallmark is also a national expert on red light cameras and is the Director of the Midwest Transportation Consortium. She has evaluated the effectiveness of red light camera enforcement in neighboring Cedar Rapids in addition to the safety edge benefits in Iowa.

KRUI News Staffers Caitlin Fry, Emily Woodbury, Kuper Bergman, and KRUI News Alum Brad Gaspelin ran the discussion.

Listen to the full show here:

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