With the installation of red light cameras this year, a state official predicted that, like other places where the cameras are operating, Libertyville could see a rise in rear-end crashes and related injuries, although police say it’s too soon to tell if that will be true.

“It’s not uncommon to see an increase in rear-end accidents,” said Guy Tridgell, communication manager at the Illinois Department of Transportation. “It’s a national trend. The goal is to cut down on the much more severe accidents and those associated with running red lights.”

Tridgell said red light cameras have been an effective tool in deterring angle and t-bone accidents, which usually happen when a driver runs a red light. Those kinds of crashes cause the most fatalities and severe injuries, he noted.

Only three accidents, have been recorded since the cameras were installed at four intersections in May and July, which is why Police Chief Clint Herdegen says it’s too early to tell what kind of affect the cameras have on drivers’ responses.

State statistics requested by the Tribune seem to suggest that rear-end vehicle accidents already caused more than half of the injuries recorded with or without red light cameras.

And IDOT’s statistics also show the overall number of accidents has been going down over the last couple of years, while the number of injuries has stayed about the same since 2008.

In 2009, there were six injuries in 30 rear-end accidents. But through Aug. 31 of this year, there have been eight injuries in the 14 rear-end crashes.

Of the three accidents that caused minor injuries at the Libertyville intersections since the cameras were installed in late spring and summer, two were rear-end crashes.

David Pagan, 25, of Arlington Heights, can understand how the more minor kind of rear-end accidents can happen when cameras are installed. He often visits friends in the Libertyville area and said the cameras “absolutely” affect his driving – to the point of slamming on his brakes.

“I’ll stop 10 to 15 feet back and creep up to the intersection before I proceed,” Pagan said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety provided the Tribune with statistical data showing the number of crashes at intersections at red light camera intersections since 2008. The reports show a full year of traffic reports in 2008 and 2009. The 2010 statistics run from January through Aug. 31.

Of the three accidents that occurred at red light camera intersections since the electronic eyes were installed between May and July, all of them happened at Route 45 and Peterson Road. Two of the minor injuries occurred from rear-end accidents and another from a vehicle turning into another car.

There were no fatalities reported in any of the statistics provided by IDOT.

The overall number of accidents at Milwaukee Avenue and Illinois Highway 137 dropped from 30 in 2008, to 22 in 2009 to 10 by Aug. 31 this year.

At Peterson Road and North Butterfield Road, there were 22 accidents in 2008, 12 in 2009 and five as of Aug. 31 this year.

At Milwaukee Avenue at North Artaius Parkway, there were 14 in 2008, five in 2009, and three through Aug. 31 of this year.

At U.S. Highway 45 and Peterson Road, there were 23 accidents in 2008, 14 in 2009, and six through Aug. 31 of this year.

Herdegen has said drivers are getting the message the devices are supposed to send, which is the main priority.

“The primary motivation for installation of the red light cameras is to improve and enhance safety at each of the intersections and reduce the incidents of crashes occurring there,” he said.

“We know for certain that drivers are ‘running the red light’ less frequently than before the cameras were installed, because less tickets are being written than originally projected,” he said, adding that a detailed comparison of ticket revenue won’t be done until the cameras have been in operation for a full year.

To read more on red light cameras in the area, click here.