Knowing that there's always someone out there who's gonna try to run red light, I've developed the habit of looking both ways before going -- yes the same system for pedestrian, adapted for driving. Yes, I admit that there were a couple of times I accidentally ran reds. But any sane driver out there knows that if you don't know the timing of the yellow as it transitions to red, you're better off stopping anyway.

Roundabouts.

*This* is how they will sell the world on autonomous cars. Everything thinks they are a good driver. They are wrong.

But, if we sell it as "you are a good driver, but look at the crazy stuff other people do, don't you wish they were replaced by rule-following robots?". Hopefully people will go for it.

@SFOGuy
"I know, Freakanomics style, that red light cameras increase the number of red light runners"

Really? What's the explanation of that?

I want to hear that too...

Some possibly non-causal observations to the contrary from a biased party: "Total red-light running crash fatalities decreased 22% from 2007 to 2011, as the number of communities with red-light safety cameras increased 135%.... Within a few months after red-light cameras stopped operating in Virginia Beach, red-light running rates tripled at intersections where cameras were shut down...

A 2012 study by the Texas Transportation Institute found right-angle red-light running crashes decreased by 24% at intersections with red-light safety cameras.

A 2011 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found red-light safety cameras lowered red-light running fatalities by 24% and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 17% in a study of 14 large U.S. cities."

(all from http://www.atsol.com/fact-sheets/ )

But maybe there are other other studies, with a more catchy, 'freaky' approach?

"The preponderance of independent research (in other words, research that was not funded by ticket camera vendors or units of government interested in justifying camera-based traffic enforcement) has illustrated that ticket cameras typically increase, not decrease, the number of accidents at controlled intersections."
List of red light camera studies

Red light cameras increase accidents

Man, that makes zero sense to me ... but thanks for providing links to studies, because all I've got to back up my tendency towards skepticism of the idea is gut feeling plus personal anecdotes.

Weird, wild stuff.

Isn't that what they teach in driving school under the name "Defensive Driving"?

I was thinking of that while watching the video because I was amazed at the number of people who could've avoided being hit* had they looked before starting into the intersection rather than just blindly following the light.

*Not blaming them for the collision--just observing that they're putting themselves in danger by not paying attention.

That might limit the severity of crashes but believe me, they're not stopping stupidity.
Best thing you can do when you're in a car, assume every driver in a passenger car tries to kill you Carmageddon style. That's what I do on the autobahn and I shit you not, it has saved my life a couple of times. The most incompetent driving I've ever witnessed was done with vehicles below 7.5 tons weight.
The sheer idiocy and carelessness I see on the road nowadays...

So it would seem that the concept of red-light cameras is debated by special interest groups on both sides, with strong lobbying from red-light camera vendors. The wikipedia summary explains the controversy thus: "Authorities cite public safety as the primary reason that the cameras are installed, while opponents contend their use is more for financial gain. There have been concerns that red light cameras scare drivers (who want to avoid a ticket) into more sudden stops, which may increase the risk of a rear-end collisions."

The same Wikipedia article summarizes the research thus: "A report in 2003 by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) examined studies from the previous 30 years in Australia, the UK, Singapore and the US, and concluded that red light cameras "improve the overall safety of intersections where they are used." While the report states that evidence is not conclusive (partly due to flaws in the studies), the majority of studies show a reduction in angle crashes, a smaller increase in rear-end crashes, with some evidence of a “spillover” effect of reduced red light running to other intersections within a jurisdiction. These findings are similar to a 2005 meta analysis, which compared the results of 10 controlled before-after studies of red light cameras in the US, Australia and Singapore. The analysis stated that the studies showed a reduction in crashes (up to almost 30%) in which there were injuries, however, evidence was less conclusive for a reduction in total collisions. Studies of red light cameras worldwide show a reduction of crashes involving injury by about 25% to 30%, taking into account increases in rear-end crashes, according to testimony from a meeting of the Virginia House of Delegates Militia, Police, and Public Safety Committee in 2003. These findings are supported by a review of more than 45 international studies carried out in 2010, which found that red light cameras reduce red light violation rates, crashes resulting from red light running, and usually reduce right-angle collisions."

There are enough interesting sources there that you can still find confirmation for your particular bias, whatever it is, if you so choose.

(I like that you cite a special interests group - the National Motorists Association - on what they believe 'independent research' shows... Quickly going through their webpage shows that they're opposed, nay damn opposed, to traffic safety regulation )

Red light cameras work when the fee for running them is raised to $1650.