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SAFE APPROACH
The City of Sioux City and the Sioux City Police Department are dedicated to improving Traffic Safety through project Safe Approach. Safe Approach provides many aspects of vehicle and pedestrian safety to provide a safer community.
SCHOOL SAFETY ZONES
The City is dedicated to ensuring safety for school children on their route to school. This includes establishing a “School Safety Zone” along streets next to elementary schools. Along with the school crossing signage and crosswalk markings, the school safety zone provides a reduced 25 mph speed limit on streets next to major crosswalks. This 25 mph speed limit reduces traffic speeds and allows drivers and students alike sufficient time to react to unexpected situations. The zones that have been established so far have been successful in reducing both accidents and vehicle speeds. It should be noted that pedestrian and cycle training is also carried out in elementary schools to give children better skills when they are using streets.
SIGNAL INTERCONNECT PROJECT
The City of Sioux City has made a major investment in improving traffic safety with the Hamilton Boulevard Traffic Signal Interconnect Project. The safety benefits derived from modernizing the traffic control equipment and implementing coordination plans at the 15 signalized intersections are attributed to reduced stops and delays for journeys along route from Tri-View to Stone Boulevard. With this system, the coordinated signals now produce platoons of vehicles that can proceed without stopping at multiple intersections. This lowers the occurrence of rear-end accidents caused by frequent stops and inconsistent traffic speeds.
It should be note that in addition to improving traffic safety along the busy corridor, this project also develops a framework for incorporating technologies and improved traffic operations into other areas of the transportation system. This includes providing emergency pre-emption for the fire trucks when responding to fires, medical emergencies, and other incidents. Shown on the diagram are the intersections that are included within the Hamilton Traffic Signal Interconnect Project.
SPEED MONITORING TRAILER
The speed monitoring trailer is used in many applications. The primary function is to make drivers aware of their speed in areas of concern. The messaging feature allows for warnings and traffic advisories to be displayed to the public. The trailer also contains a “Traffic Data Computer” that can record: vehicle types, speeds, volumes and other relevant data.
Contact: Sgt. Ron Heimgartner, 712-279-6339 to request placement of the speed monitoring trailer in your neighborhood.
SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM
The Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) is a unit comprised of a sergeant and two officers charged with anticipating and making plans to address Sioux City’s traffic needs.
Utilizing statistical information on traffic accidents and traffic trends, the STEP unit identifies specific streets and intersections where violations occur. STEP officers then do directed patrol in those locations, targeting violators and responding accordingly. This is done in an effort to reduce accidents and gain voluntary compliance with the traffic laws of the city and state. The Unit accounts for a significant proportion of the number of the department’s traffic citations.
The STEP unit plans for major events which may cause traffic congestion or other such problems. The unit also escorts house moving as well as dignitaries and political candidates when they visit Sioux City.
FLASHING YELLOW ARROWS
The City is among some of the first in the United States to implement a new flashing yellow arrow (FYA) left-turn signal light at intersections where, in the past, circular green signal lights were used. The new flashing yellow arrow signals, like the green ball, indicates left turning traffic must first yield to \oncoming traffic and pedestrians before turning. The new signals are being installed as a result of a national study, conducted for the Federal Highway Administration, which demonstrated that the new signals help prevent crashes, move more traffic through an intersection and provide additional traffic management flexibility for road agencies. These new FYA left-turn signals are located at signalized intersections along Hamilton Boulevard, South Saint Aubin Street,, and Transit Avenue. The FYA left-turn signal will be used when new left turn signalization is installed and when existing flashing-red left-turn signals are replaced/upgraded.
COMMUNITY TEAM POLICING
Community Team Policing is a new approach to community policing being utilized by the Sioux City Police to enhance the problem-solving capability of its officers. The city of Sioux City is divided into nine distinct geographic patrol areas referred to as districts. Each district is now staffed by a team comprised of the officers that serve each district throughout the course of a day, the officers that replace them on their days off, an investigator, a Drug Task Force member, and Crime Analysts.
Team members meet monthly to identify and plan solutions to problems identified by community members, team members, or other City staff. Each team is led by a supervising sergeant that coordinates team projects and serves as a point of contact to which problems can be directly referred. While traditional patrol response is the appropriate course of action for calls for which timing is critical, Community Team Policing is particularly well-suited for addressing chronic problems or quality of life problems within the districts.
Community Team Policing districts periodically do traffic projects in their districts. These projects are aimed at streets and intersections where a high number of accidents occur. The goal is to lower the number of accidents and to encourage voluntary compliance with the traffic laws.
ALCOHOL SAFETY ACTION PROGRAM
The Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) consists of a sergeant and three Officers who target alcohol and drug impaired drivers. Operating under the influence is one of the leading causes of accidents. The ASAP unit was formed to combat impaired driving. The ASAP units efforts are supplemented by multiple directed patrol efforts and the efforts of every Sioux City Police Officer.
CRIME PREVENTION
The Crime Prevention Officer provides numerous educational programs to the public. This is done through public service announcements and selective programs to schools, service clubs and groups. The programs include bicycle safety, bicycle rodeos and school crossing guard safety. They also produce numerous brochures on topics such as winter driving safety tips.
To schedule a presentation contact: Jeremy McClure, 712-279-6411
VOLUNTEERS IN POLICING
At the very heart of community policing are citizens of Sioux City working alongside police officers to identify, prioritize, and solve contemporary problems such as crime, drugs, fear of crime, social disorder, and neighborhood decay. Volunteers In Police Service provide a unique opportunity for interested citizens to directly participate in police operations by performing any number of tasks that support the department’s
goal to improve the overall quality of life in the community.
Volunteers enhance police operations as...
Handicap Parking Patrol Assistants– Handicap Parking Patrol Assistants enforce handicap parking regulations which includes patrolling for violations, writing tickets, and appearing in court for testimony when subpoenaed to do so. They patrol commercial districts outside the downtown area.
Traffic Assistants–Traffic assistants take a speed-monitoring unit to locations from which radar requests have been received to attempt to inhibit speeding traffic.
Research Assistants–Research assistants assist in data entry and compilation, and conduct internet research related to department projects and crime analysis.
Who’s Eligible?
Any individual 16 years or older is eligible to become a Volunteer in Police Service. Under some circumstances, school or internship credit may be available for students who are able to incorporate volunteer activity into their school curriculum.
Note: qualified applicants will be subject to and must pass a criminal background check.
For more information, or to request an application to become an intern or a Volunteer In Police Service, contact: Rita Donnelly at 712- 279-6424
DRIVE RITE
(Red Light Intersection Traffic Enforcement)
The City of Sioux City hosts cameras at signalized intersections around our community to help ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. This program is known as Drive RITE (Red Light Intersection Traffic Enforcement).
Drive RITE uses automated camera systems and sensors to detect red light violations. A red light violation consists of vehicles illegally entering the intersection during the red light phase. The vehicle is detected automatically and the camera system records images of the vehicle and surroundings.
Please remember that obeying all traffic laws, is extremely important. Violations could result in a penalty of $107.25.
Eight approaches are currently approved for photo enforcement in Sioux City with additional approaches to be added in the future.
Approaches with photo enforcement in June 2009:
Nebraska & Gordon Dr – West Bound
S. Lakeport & Sergeant Rd – East Bound
Fairmount & Gordon Dr – West Bound
Pierce St. & Gordon Dr – South Bound
Court St. & 5th St – East Bound
I-29 & Singing Hills Blvd – East Bound
Palmetto & Gordon Dr – West Bound
Cheyenne & Outer Dr – South Bound
KEY STATISTICS
Red Light Running
 Red light running resulted in an estimated 805 fatalities in 2005, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
An estimated 165,000 people are injured each year in red light running crashes.
Between 1992 and 2000, fatal motor crashes at traffic signals increased 19 percent, outpacing the rise in all other fatal crashes.
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that red light running results in more than 100,000 intersection-related crashes annually.
Public costs associated with red light running crashes exceed $14 billion per year.
Other motorists and pedestrians account for more than half of the deaths caused by red light running crashes.
In 1995, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported the results of a detailed analysis of more than 4,500 police-reported urban crashes in four U.S. cities. The most common crash type was logged as "ran traffic control." The same study found that crashes involving signal violations were the most likely to cause injuries. Occupant injuries occurred in 45 percent of the crashes involving red light running, as compared to 30 percent of other crash types.
The average red light camera location in the U.S. results in reduced societal costs of $39,000 - $50,000 a year, as reported in a recent cost-benefit analysis funded by the Federal Highway Administration.
Speeding
Speeding is a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes, and an estimated 1,000 Americans die each month.
In 2005, more than 13,000 lives were lost in speed-related crashes.
The economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is estimated by NHTSA to be $40.4 billion per year – $76,865 per minute or $1,281 per second.
NHTSA analysis found that the proportion of fatal speed-related crashes decreased with increasing driver’s age: male drivers ages 15 – 20 (38%), male drivers ages 35 – 44 (19%) and male drivers ages 45 – 54 (15%).
Public Opinion on Red Light Running and Photo Enforcement Systems
Past national polling conducted by the Campaign to Stop Red Light Running in 2002 found 83 percent support for red light cameras in cities with a red light running problem.
An April 2001 survey of ten cities by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that opinions about red light camera use are favorable in communities both with (77 – 84 percent) and without (72 – 82 percent) programs.
The Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contend that red light camera systems can be a very effective countermeasure to prevent red light running, as cited in Red Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines, FHWA-SA-05-002, January 2005.
A survey of 800 licensed drivers in United States ages 18 to 65 was conducted by the Federal Highway Administration and the American Trauma Society.
Results of the survey follow:
Ninety-six percent of Americans worry that, when they are driving through an intersection, someone might run a red light and hit them.
Ninety-one percent of Americans believe that running red lights is "very" to "extremely" dangerous.
Seventy percent of Americans support the use of enforcement cameras at intersections to catch red light runners.
Sixty percent of Americans believe that people run red lights simply because they are in a hurry.
Sixty-three percent of Americans see someone running red lights a few times a week to once a day.
Sixty-five percent of Americans believe that the problem of running red lights has either stayed the same, or has gotten worse, but has not gotten better over the past few years.
Fifty-four percent of Americans agree that people who run red lights are just as reckless as people who drink and drive.
Thirty-two percent of Americans - one out of three - know someone who has been injured or killed because of a red light runner.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Red Light Running
What is red light running?
A violation occurs when a motorist enters an intersection some time after the signal light has turned red. Motorists inadvertently in an intersection when the signal changes to red (e.g., waiting to turn left) are not red light runners.
Is red light running really a problem?
Red light running is one of the major causes of crashes, deaths and injuries at signalized intersections. A nationwide study of fatal crashes at traffic signals in 1999 and 2000 conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that 20 percent of the drivers involved failed to obey the signals. The NHTSA reports that crashes caused by red light running result in greater than 800 fatalities and 165,000 injuries annually. The monetary impact is estimated to reach $14 billion annually, according to the NHTSA. Other motorists and pedestrians account for more than half of the deaths caused by red light running crashes.
What are red light cameras and how do they work?
Red light cameras can help communities enforce traffic laws by automatically photographing vehicles whose drivers run red lights. A red light camera system is connected to the traffic signal and to sensors that monitor traffic flow at the crosswalk or stop line. The system continuously monitors the traffic signal 24/7, and the camera itself is triggered by any vehicle entering the intersection above a pre-established minimum speed and following a specified time after the signal has turned red. A second photograph typically shows the red light violator in the intersection. Cameras record the date, time of day, time elapsed since the beginning of the red signal, and vehicle speed. Tickets are sent by mail to owners of the violating vehicles, following review by trained police officers of the photographic evidence.
Isn’t conventional police enforcement sufficient?
Traditional traffic law enforcement are resource intensive and high risk as they rely exclusively on the presence of an officer to observe violations and identify and cite offenders, which is limiting as police officers cannot be everywhere. Even when police officers observe a violation, it is not always possible to safely stop the violator because to make stop, the officer may have to speed to run a red light. This can endanger motorists and pedestrians as well as police officers, and traffic stops in high-traffic areas can exacerbate congestion. Communities lack the resources necessary to allow police to patrol intersections as often as would be needed to ticket all motorists who run red lights and to thereby make a significant impact on red light running. Red light cameras are designed to identify traffic law violators without depending on the presence of police officers and can monitor intersections 24/7, allowing police to focus on other enforcement needs.
Does my community really need red-light cameras? I’ve heard that all that is really needed is to extend yellow light timing?
The use of adequate yellow signal timing reduces red light running and injury-related crashes, but longer yellow timing used in conjunction with red light cameras provides a more significant decrease in incidents of red light running. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted a field study to evaluate the effects on red light running by first lengthening yellow signal timing, followed by the introduction of red light cameras. Six approaches to two different intersections were tested sequentially. Findings were compared against three intersections in a neighboring city where red light cameras were not used and yellow light timing remained constant. Results showed that yellow timing changes reduced red light violations by an average 36 percent. The addition of red light camera enforcement further reduced red light violations by 96 percent beyond levels achieved by the longer yellow timing. At the intersection with the greatest incidence of red light running—251 per 10,000 vehicles—yellow light extensions reduced red light running to 198 incidents per 10,000 vehicles. Once red light cameras were installed at that intersection, incidents of red light running dropped to an astounding two per 10,000 vehicles.
Source: Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, Status Report, Vol. 42, No. 1 January 27, 2007; Retting, Richard A., Ferguson, Susan A., Farmer, Charles M., Reducing Red Light Running Through Longer yellow Signal timing and Red Light Camera Enforcement: Results of a Field Investigation, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, January 2007.
What safety benefits do red light cameras provide?
Cameras have been shown to substantially reduce red light violations. Institute Evaluations by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Fairfax, Virginia, and Oxnard, California, showed that camera enforcement reduced red light running violations by about 40 percent. In addition to reducing red light running at camera-equipped sites, violation reductions in both communities carried over to signalized intersections not equipped with red light cameras, indicating community-wide changes in driver behavior.
In addition to reducing red light violations, cameras have been shown to reduce intersection crashes. In Oxnard, California, significant citywide crash reductions followed the introduction of red light cameras, and injury crashes at intersections with traffic signals were reduced by 29 percent. Front-into-side collisions — the type of crash most closely associated with red light running — also were reduced by 32 percent, and front-into-side crashes involving injuries were reduced by 68 percent. An Institute review of international red light camera studies concluded that cameras reduce red light violations by 40 to 50 percent and reduce injury crashes by 25 to 30 percent.
Isn’t it more dangerous for cars to slam on their brakes if they fear running a red light rather than to simply keep driving?
REDFLEX technology is set up to photograph only those vehicles entering the intersection after the light has turned red. While drivers who fear a ticket for red light running can cause a rear end collision by applying their brakes too rapidly, these types of accidents are far less dangerous than the typical right-angle collision caused by red light running, indicating a positive aggregate benefit.
In Ventura, California, which installed cameras at 17 different locations in 2001, has seen red light running crashes drop 80 percent at the intersections with red light cameras, and a 29 percent reduction in red light running crashes across the city.
A 2005 study conducted by researchers at the Institute for Transportation Research and Education, in cooperation with North Carolina State University, reviewed traffic data from over a dozen intersection in Raleigh considered to be the most dangerous in the city, half of which had red light cameras. Researchers compared “before” and “after” red light related accidents between the two groups and found that right-angle accidents were reduced by 42 percent at red-light camera intersections, with a 25 percent reduction in rear-end accidents. Total red-light related accidents dropped by 22 percent.
As confirmed by two recent studies funded by the FHTSA, red light photo enforcement benefit communities by reducing dangerous right angle crashes at the intersections where the cameras are deployed, as well as other intersections located near red light camera-enforced intersections.
I’ve heard that red light cameras don’t actually improve road safety. Is that true?
Red light cameras have been shown to deter red light running and are an effective supplement to traditional means of law enforcement. Red light cameras are in operation in over 200 U.S. communities, up from only two communities ten years ago, and have been used internationally since the 1970s. A 2005 review of red light camera studies around the world concluded that cameras reduce red light violations by 40 to 50 percent and reduced injury-related crashes by 25 – 30 percent, according to The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.
An in-depth analysis report produced January 30, 2007, documents the success in Knoxville, Tennessee, which began a REDFLEXred photo enforcement program in 2006:
-Total crashes have decreased 17 percent
-Angle crashes have dropped by 45 percent
-Rear end crashes are down by one percent
Minneapolis, Minnesota reported results from a six-month trial program in 2006:
-Total crashes have decreased 16 percent
-Angle crashes have dropped by 20 percent
-Total citywide crashes are down by five percent, which reflects a typical modification in total citywide driver behavior with overall safety benefits experienced beyond photo enforced intersections
Do red light cameras violate motorists’ right to privacy?
No. Driving is a regulated activity on public roads. By obtaining a license, a motorist agrees to abide by certain rules, such as to obey traffic signals. Neither the law nor common sense suggests drivers should not be observed on the road or have their violations documented. Red light camera systems can be designed to photograph only a vehicle's rear license plate, not vehicle occupants, depending on local law. Only vehicles driven by motorists who violate the law are photographed.
SPEEDING
Is speeding really a safety problem?
Speeding is a factor in nearly one third of all fatal crashes in the United States. Every year more than 13,000 people die from speed related accidents. Speed increases the severity of the crash by increasing the energy of the impact.
Isn’t speed variation between the two cars the real issue in an accident?
No, nearly 50% of all speed related crashes are single vehicle accidents. The risk of death and injury is directly proportional to the level of speed.
If photo enforcement cameras are so new in the United States, how do we know they are effective?
Victoria, Australia and Great Britain have utilized photo enforcement systems for well over two decades. The number of motorists exceeding the speed limit in monitored roadways is down 66% in Victoria and 32% in Britain. Crashes have been reduced in Victoria by up to 35% and up to 40% in Britain.
Source: Insurance Institute of Highway Safety Vol. 40 No. 8 September 28, 2005
Are there any photo enforcement speed studies in the United States?
Yes, a comprehensive statistical analysis was recently conducted for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) following the first ever United States Freeway program. Redflex Traffic Systems in cooperation with ADOT, DPS and the City of Scottsdale implemented a nine month study along a 7.8 mile corridor of the Loop 101 around the city of Phoenix, AZ. The program results were dramatic.
1. The program reduced average speeds -9.5 mph.
2. Single vehicle crashes -71%
3. Side Swipe crashes -58%
4. Total injuries -40%
5. Total financial savings estimated to be $10MM per year in that 8 mile stretch alone due to reduced property damage, medical expenses, insurance costs, etc.
6. Untold benefits include: less congestion time following a freeway accident, community productivity, safety of highway patrol officers responding to an accident, safety of highway patrol officers pursuing a speed related incident.
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