Memphis Traffic Camera Archive

If you’ve tried to find footage from a Memphis traffic camera after an auto accident, you probably realize how difficult this is. This is the collection of images (and sometimes videos) taken over time of what traffic cameras have captured and are available to use by insurance claims investigators, police departments, attorneys, and regular folks who want to figure out how something went wrong while driving. Someone may want access to this type of footage to resolve an argument about which driver ran a red light; to document damage to a vehicle as part of an insurance claim process; or to provide information to a crash reconstruction team to help them put together a better picture of what occurred.

Before going further, let’s clear up one misconception: Live camera feeds and archived footage are two very different things. A live feed provides you with a view of current events taking place on I-40 at present and refreshes every few seconds. On the other hand, archived footage (if there is such footage) is simply what was captured previously and has been stored for future reference. Many people believe that since they can watch the live feed, then someone else must be capturing and saving that footage too. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case – and it’s just one of the most common areas of confusion that we experience when people contact RoadProof to obtain footage of their accidents.

How the Memphis Traffic Camera Archive Works

Most of Memphis’ traffic cameras are part of the SmartWay program with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Therefore, these cameras are generally used for live traffic monitoring at the Region 4 Traffic Management Center in Memphis and are not intended to store video. The primary use of each individual camera is to transmit live images back to the Region 4 Traffic Management Center so that operators may monitor crashes, stalled vehicles, and congested roads while they occur.

A number of the traffic cameras will take a still picture that updates approximately every few seconds instead of continuously capturing video. Additionally, some of these cameras have been linked to systems that have stored video for a certain length of time; however, this retention isn’t universal, nor is it indefinite. The update cycle for the various cameras varies widely by camera and by agency. Furthermore, the amount of time that video remains available ranges from a couple of days to many months based upon who owns the camera and how much data storage capability exists.

The largest limiting factor is simply storage capacity. It requires significant amounts of server space to store high-definition video from hundreds of cameras that run continuously throughout the day. Most governmental agencies do not have the funding or infrastructure to maintain unlimited storage for all video captured. This is where RoadProof fills the void; more about this below.

Can You Access Previous Memphis Traffic Camera Footage?

The most frequent response we receive is “it depends” based on the specific camera type, the agency operating that camera, and how long ago the requested event occurred. Agencies often archive a very small amount of information related to their cameras (usually only images) for a short period of time; therefore, as long as an agency retains such archival data, members of the public can submit a formal request to obtain this data.
On the other hand, many agencies do not save any historical data from their cameras after the live view ends, so if there are no archives, the only remaining view will be the live view. There is currently no central database or portal available to retrieve footage from Memphis traffic cameras.

If public access does exist to past footage, this access is generally restricted. For example, to successfully request footage from a public agency, you would likely need to know exactly what day, hour, and minute an incident happened, along with your reason for requesting it (i.e., you were involved in the collision). Footage is generally removed due to three primary causes. The agency did not retain the footage after the retention period expired. The camera was not active during the timeframe requested. The agency failed to save the footage since they only provide live views of their cameras.

Who Operates Memphis Traffic Cameras?

While Memphis has an abundance of traffic cameras, none of them belong to the same agency. The ownership of each camera can greatly affect the process of obtaining footage from a particular camera.

Approximately 140 Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) cameras monitor the interstates and major state routes surrounding Memphis. While these cameras are managed by TDOT’s Region 4 traffic management center for statewide traffic management purposes, they do not capture footage for accident investigation purposes.

Memphis Traffic Engineering operates cameras located at city intersections and on city-maintained streets. These cameras are primarily utilized for optimizing signal timing and improving local traffic conditions. Interstate cameras are owned by TDOT (I-40, I-55, I-240 and connecting highways such as SR 385), while city cameras are owned and operated by the City of Memphis (surface streets).

County cameras, if available, represent a small portion of the total number of cameras in use within the county and often focus on specific problematic intersections or unincorporated portions of Shelby County.

Practically speaking, this means that if you were involved in an accident occurring on an interstate, you will be required to contact TDOT to obtain video footage. On the other hand, if your accident occurred at a city intersection, you will need to contact Memphis Traffic Engineering. It is common for individuals seeking to obtain footage from a particular camera to be unsure as to who owns that camera. Ascertaining that information is one of the most frustrating aspects of obtaining footage on your own.

Memphis Traffic Cameras by Road

Traffic cameras throughout Memphis are located on or near many of the main roads and corridors. Below is a general overview of where traffic cameras are concentrated along these routes. It should be noted that there are approximately 140 cameras from TDOT; however, the information below provides an idea of where the most traffic cameras exist.

I-40 Cameras along I-40 extend through all of Shelby County and include areas such as the west junction of I-40/I-55, Canada Road, Airport Road, and the east side towards Jackson Ave. and Highland Ave.

I-55: The coverage includes the I-55 bridge area and the I-55 southbound lanes of Shelby Drive. Cameras are strategically placed to capture images of the interchanges with I-40 and I-240.

I-240 There are numerous cameras monitoring I-240, which is the outer loop around Memphis. Many of these cameras are strategically placed to monitor traffic along Lamar, Getwell, Airways, Perkins, Mt. Moriah, Poplar, Walnut Grove, and near the I-55/Sam Cooper intersection.

US 64 Cameras are strategically placed along US 64 to allow TDOT to monitor traffic entering and exiting the eastern portion of the metropolitan area.
Poplar Avenue is among the top surface streets being monitored in Memphis. Both city and state cameras monitor major intersections.

Union Avenue Cameras are focused primarily on the midtown/downtown section of Union Avenue due to its consistent high volume of traffic.

Walnut Grove: Due to overlap of the I-240 interchange, cameras also monitor the Walnut Grove connector to/from East Memphis.

Germantown Pkwy: Germantown Parkway is one of the most used suburban corridors. Camera coverage exists at multiple major intersections in the Cordova area.

Sam Cooper Blvd Cameras monitor the Sam Cooper Blvd. connector between Highland & I-240. Sam Cooper Blvd. is congested at peak times.

Lamar Ave: Both the I-240 interchange and the surface street corridor have cameras due to the amount of freight and commuter traffic traveling through this area.

Can Traffic Cameras Help After an Accident?

Yes, if there is video of the accident, then this may provide you with one of the best pieces of evidence available. This footage can assist in establishing which driver had the right-of-way; whether the traffic light was red or green; and the speed of all involved vehicles prior to contact. In addition, cameras will often document other details of the accident, such as the weather conditions at the time of the accident; the overall flow of traffic; and where each vehicle was positioned prior to and immediately after the accident.

Objective evidence such as this has a tendency to eliminate the “He said, she said” type disputes that tend to delay both insurance claims and legal proceedings. Instead of having to rely on the testimony of the parties involved (who are likely to present conflicting versions) you now have a videotape of exactly what occurred.

How Long Is Memphis Traffic Camera Footage Retained?

Public agency retention policies vary greatly depending on ownership of the cameras. Public agencies are likely to erase video footage within several days. Others may keep footage anywhere from a month to several months until they have enough space to delete it. There is no state-wide nor city-wide policy for how long an owner can store footage of a particular incident.

Therefore, the amount of time that a TDOT interstate camera retains footage could differ greatly from the length of time that footage from a municipal-owned camera a mile down the road retains. As such, the sooner you act, the better your chances are of obtaining the footage. If you don’t initiate a request for the footage within a few weeks after the date of the incident, it is possible that all footage of the incident has been erased prior to your formal request.

RoadProof is unique as compared to other public agencies. In addition to retaining footage related to reported incidents for at least one (1) year, our organization typically exceeds the length of time that most government systems retain this type of information. This is due to the fact that many times, legal issues and insurance claims take several months to resolve.

Memphis Traffic Cameras vs Red Light Cameras

The first point is how often we confuse these two types of cameras with each other. However, the distinction can make a big difference in which type of camera may have recorded evidence of what you were involved in during your accident.

Red light cameras/enforcement cameras are strictly to catch individuals who violate the laws of the state by running a red light or speeding through a designated area. The cameras will only capture this violation while the light is red. These cameras do not continuously record activity on the streets. If your accident occurred when the light was green, there is probably no video from an enforcement camera that captured your incident.

SmartWay traffic monitoring cameras, provided by TDOT, are simply meant to allow the traffic operator to monitor the traffic flow of the roads he manages. He does not enforce the law with his cameras; rather, their purpose is to manage traffic flow. As mentioned previously, very few of the SmartWay cameras save video for an extended time period.

Archived camera footage is where the cameras either have a function to archive footage for future retrieval (i.e., enforcement or monitoring), whether enforcement or monitoring cameras.

How RoadProof Collects Historical Traffic Camera Images

RoadProof was developed to fill the void between the images captured by traffic cameras in real-time and those that are saved for future reference.

Sources of Data. The platform gathers data from over 25,000 traffic cameras across the United States. This includes SmartWay cameras operated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) within Tennessee. The camera data is cross-referenced with reported traffic incidents.

Frequency of Updates. As soon as a crash or traffic incident is reported through the live feed to which RoadProof is connected, the footage related to that incident will be gathered and stored in the system nearly in real-time. It would normally take hours or even days to gather footage after an incident occurs based solely on request.

Preservation. Once the footage has been matched to a specific incident, RoadProof will save the footage for a minimum of one year. This is substantially longer than most government agencies, thereby allowing lawyers, insurance companies, and investigators to have access to it longer than previously allowed.

Control. Once the footage has been matched to an incident, it is reviewed by a member of RoadProof’s staff prior to being placed in the system to verify that the footage matches the correct location, date, and time. Thereby ensuring that those utilizing the footage do not rely on speculation.

Storage Process. When all of these elements come together, they create a searchable database of historical footage, accessible to law enforcement, licensed attorneys, and insurance agents. Rather than having to contact numerous agencies individually, such as five separate agencies, in hopes that one of them may have some type of evidence, users can simply go online and view footage associated with a particular incident by either city and/or date.

If you are an attorney or insurance agent involved in a case involving an automobile accident occurring in Memphis, or if you are a law enforcement officer interested in using RoadProof as a tool, then visit roadproof.com to learn more about how the service works and obtain access. Additionally, if you were injured in an auto accident and seeking footage, RoadProof allows you to connect directly with an attorney licensed to practice law in your state, who will assist you in gathering any available video and supporting your claim.