REPORT: Winnipeg police outed for manipulating red-light camera accident data. Again.
Winnipeg authorities are all "Lookie! Crashes are down at the intersections equipped with our spiffy new red-light cameras," but Manitoba Public Insurance and the Winnipeg Sun newspaper are all: "Stop lying!" Winnipeg says its 12 intersections equipped with the electronic sentinels have seen a 37% reduction in crashes since 2002. MPI and the WInnipeg Sun beg to differ, however, saying that insurance claims tell a markedly different, more complete story. Part of the disparity can be attributed to the fact that collisions causing damage under $1,000 don't have to be reported to the police, but claims for those incidents are usually still submitted to insurance. According to the newspaper, the city's use of incomplete statistics to spin data the way it chooses has been going on for a while – it was flagged for the practice in a 2006 finding, and the figures that Manitoba Public Insurance reports figures some 66% higher than the city's figures. To hear the Sun tell it, the government's interest in photo radar appears to continue unabated as long as the money keeps rolling in, and skewed statistics only help make the case for the enforcement technology.
[Source: Winnipeg Sun | Image: Corrections Ontario]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Redeemed 4:11PM (6/16/2009)
Cop bashing to begin in 5...4...3...2...1...
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John 4:14PM (6/16/2009)
hopefully not. Bashing of greedy local governments that are more interested in making a buck in the guise of public safety, than ACTUAL public safety, hopefully so.
Silly Pickle 6:20PM (6/16/2009)
Redeemed...dude! Are you from Winnipeg? They are notoriously bad. As a kid I remember hearing stories from people about how corrupt they were. Shoot, if you cut one off when he's off duty he's just as likely to chase you down and lay a beating to you as the criminals they shoot because they're Native. God help you if you're 14 and dark skinned... They've even run people off the road and taken their keys and thrown them in the ditch...again in a case of off duty road rage...on the officers part!! Don't doubt for a second that their stats are full of shi7. Wpg police = joke.
HJC 2 4:13PM (6/16/2009)
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that people are going to lock up their brakes to avoid getting a ticket. The poor sap behind him is going to rear end him. This system is ONLY a money grab for our wonderful government to add
money so they could increase their power
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bc 4:21PM (6/16/2009)
If people aren't intended to stop for red lights and it's unfair to have a penalty for not stopping at a red light, why bother with them at all?
xspeedy 4:28PM (6/16/2009)
@ bc
The problem is that the government spends money on these systems and if the system doesn't work (reduce accidents) then it shouldn't be funded. The goal shouldn't be revenue, but safety.
In fact, many cities have been known to reduce the yellow light duration to increase revenues at the cost of safety.
paul34 6:24PM (6/16/2009)
BC, the proper way to reduce red light accidents is to increase the yellow to scientifically proven lengths, and then add some human enforcement every once in a while. Oh, and make sure the gap between red on one side and green on the other is decent as well.
Come to Orlando and go through most of our major intersections. Proper intersections. Some, unfortunately, are photo enforced, but most are not. Decent yellows, and red/green lags. You're never stressed out near a light.
Hotrod Merc 4:13PM (6/16/2009)
Hooray! My 'special' little town made it on Autoblog!
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Redline 5:22PM (6/16/2009)
Hehe mine too
Jose 9:36PM (6/16/2009)
Yup add me too, very surprised our city made autoblog.
Thanks Autoblog =)
MUSASHI66 4:14PM (6/16/2009)
I'll be there in two weeks from now - it is always a challenge to get used to those because we don't have to many of them in Denver.
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StinkyPete 4:16PM (6/16/2009)
See, the U.S. isn't the only place where corrupt officials try to bilk the citizens through laws based on poorly constructed statistics.
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Smegley 4:23PM (6/16/2009)
This could never happen in the USA because our government always tells the truth.
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jinsei888 4:29PM (6/16/2009)
NWA had it right in theirs lyrics...
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Jeff Johnson 4:51PM (6/16/2009)
And people wonder why the police are generally not well liked. There are honest cops out there, and maybe an honest person here or there holding a public office.
Crap like this is just another drop in the bucket of the downward spiral we call "progress".
How soon till we as a people get sick and tired of the lies and dishonesty that is our government and a system or people that are actually worth a damn?
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harlanx6 6:03PM (6/16/2009)
Not being able to trust our constabulary makes for a very cynical society.
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bduddy 7:23PM (6/16/2009)
This data does nothing to disprove the assertion that the cameras have reduced accidents (the number of crashes pre-2002, by either method, was conveniently left out of the article.) In fact, if you read the article, the drop in crashes between 2006 and 2007 was even more dramatic when the insurance figures were used. Of course, I'm not saying that the cameras had anything to do with that-I'm just saying that this article is, at best, misleading. Come on, Autoblog. "Manipulating data"? The article doesn't say anything even close to that.
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Glenn 1:54AM (6/17/2009)
The other factor the auditor noted was that around 25% of the vehicles shot by the camera's had obsured licenses -- proof again that the honest folk get most of the tickets.
In Winnipeg ... BTW if you actually do not plead guilty .. you get to face a judge and lawyer ... good luck. Most people get charged for the cities lawyer, court time, plus a good scolding from both.
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dallasward007 8:06AM (6/17/2009)
Most of the time red light cameras are not government funded. Private companies install them free of charge in exchange for a large cut of the revenues. Needless to say, it's hard to trust a system with no accountability built in.
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Velcro 6:28PM (6/17/2009)
I'm originally from Winnipeg. The politicians told us the cameras were to reduce accidents. It wasn't about the money. Its about the money. Just like they had photo radar set up in "construction" zones that were not properly marked, or did not have any workers present.
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