It is a common myth that brighter lights mean less crime and better safety. We say “myth” because the research does not prove the myth to be true.
When people speak of “safety”, it is not even understood what this word refers to. Are we speaking of reducing the chance of personal attack from a human? Or an attack from an animal? Does bright light reduce the likelihood of a property crime? Does safety mean that we are less likely to trip over something? Does safety mean that we are less likely to be involved in a car crash? And what about our health? Is it “safe” for our eyes and our circadian rhythm cells to have bright lights shining at night?
When we read the research studies, the general answer is that there is no definitive answer. It is certainly clear that bright lights do not equal more safety just as a rule. In fact, the studies might be showing the opposite to be true, that the general rule might be that brighter lights mean less safety. What we do know is that artificial light at night causes significant health problems to humans and to wildlife. Therefore, the strong negative effects of ALAN on health should be weighed against the minor positive or negative benefits of ALAN on crime or accidents.
We were unable to find many original studies on this topic. If we become aware of additional studies, we will include them into this document at that time.
Scientific Studies
National Institutes of Health
Quote: “We found no convincing evidence for associations between street lighting reductions and road traffic injuries.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK316511/ (A review of a study in England and Wales)
Quote: “While there was significant statistical heterogeneity in effects estimated at police force level, results overall were suggestive of an association between dimming and reductions in crime, particularly for violent crime.”
https://jech.bmj.com/content/69/11/1118 (This is different review of the same England and Wales study)
Additional Articles
Quote: “Although four of these studies found desirable effects from improved lighting, the others did not; a review published by the U.S. Department of Justice of the seven studies undertaken in the 1970s concluded that improved lighting was not an effective means of preventing crime.”
https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-p156-pub.pdf
Quote: “evidence is mounting that nighttime brightness may do little to stop crime, and in some cases may make it worse.”
Quote: “It may make us feel safer, but has not been shown to make us safer”
Quote: “Spaces with warmer colour temperatures are perceived as safer places.”
Untrustworthy Studies
Urban Labs
The Urban Labs study used 600,000 lumen lights, which equates to human torture. This study was performed in only one impoverished neighborhood, presumably because a rich neighborhood would never tolerate such torture. This study is only listed here to alert the read that this study must be dismissed as useless.
Examples
Kenosha, Wisconsin
The authorities tell us that bright white lights will protect us from crime. This myth is simply untrue. Below is a photo showing a 17-year old murdering a person with an assault rifle directly underneath the bright white light “security” light.
The science shows us that this bright white light is disturbing the sleep of the people who live in the house next door, which in turn causes health problems such as cancer and mental health disorders. In addition, the high energy blue wavelength light causes agitation in people who then react more aggressively than they would have under darkness or soft lighting.
New York City
Figure 1 shows two high glare, bright white LED lights supposedly being used for security purposes to protect the areas. However, these lights did nothing to prevent a murder that occurred under these lights. The photo shows the police using their flashlights to look for clues to the murder. The news story video can be view here:
Figure 1 – New York City
Figure 2 shows very high color temperature, very bright lights, supposedly being used to keep residents safe. Sadly, these lights did nothing to protect the 11 people who were shot and 3 who died in this once incident. In fact, it is highly likely that these lights contributed to the incident because the lights are interrupting normal sleep patterns and creating psychological disorders.
Figure 2 – Gun Violence
The news video shows dangerous glare from bright, high color temperature lights and dangerously intense strobe lights on emergency vehicles.