Do streetlights make traffic less safe?

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Occasionally, I’ll see an article or post suggesting that traffic would move faster and be safer if we would only remove our street lights and stop signs. Let people self-regulate, the claim goes, and not only will they be more careful, they’ll get where they’re going sooner.

Well, here’s a time-lapse video of an intersection in the heart of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. No traffic control, lots of scary moments.

Note, according to wikipedia, Ethiopia’s traffic fatalities per 100,000 people is slightly below the world average.