We’ve all heard stories about people walking down a dimly lit street and having something happen to them. Whether it was a mugging, being robbed or even something worse, it is enough to make people think twice about doing it. Light can deter crime and increase the safety of a home or building and it has been one of the tried and true methods for keeping people safe for as long as humans have walked the Earth. If you need any convincing about the value of outdoor landscape lighting you have no better argument than your own safety and security.
What is the right amount of lighting?
Having too little light or no light at all outside of a building or home can invite crime. That is no secret. Criminals cannot be spotted as easily in the dark making it easier for them to do their nefarious deeds. This can be remedied with either a motion detection system that activates on movement or a outdoor landscaping system. A motion detection system can turn on when activity is detected, either deterring a potential criminal or alerting someone to their presence, and switch off when there is no more motion. A constantly illuminated system can deter a criminal simply by being on and increasing the likelihood of being spotted by a person or on camera.
While deterring crime is a good enough reason to install outdoor lighting there is another very good reason, safety. Light can help show a tree root in the backyard and prevent someone from tripping over it. It can illuminate a path so that people do not stray off of it. If someone gets lost light can provide a beacon home. For business owners light can prevent workplace accidents thus helping to keep insurance costs lower.
Be aware of your surroundings.
When installing a lighting system there are things to keep in mind. What is in the surrounding area is perhaps the most important. The lighting should not interfere with other lighting in the area like say a traffic light and should follow all local ordinances. It should be uniform around the structure which will help to avoid glare and shadows and avoid any bright lights as your neighbors may not be too happy with them. Angry neighbors make for less vigilant neighbors. If a security camera is installed the lighting system that is installed should be what works best with the camera (or vice versa). Not all camera systems work the same.
Major cities like Detroit are seeing a decrease in crime as their crime-riddled streets are lit back up thanks to a major infrastructure overhaul of 65,000 new LED streetlights. Since the initiative began in 2013 violent crime has decreased by 11.8% and property crime has decreased by 23.3%. In Los Angeles the lights in some city parks were kept on until midnight and a reduction in gang violence dropped in most of those locations (lighting is not an end-all solution). In New York City a study found that lighting through better street illumination cut crime by 39% at night in selected public housing developments. Light can have a major impact on deterring crime.
Increasing your safety is always a win.
There is no way of knowing how much outdoor lighting deters crime simply because criminals will tend to pick the softest targets. With hundreds of thousands of homes being burglarized every year in the US alone why not take every precaution to protect what is most valuable to you? Landscape lighting can be just the deterrent needed.
For business owners why not do everything you can to increase your employee safety while deterring crime at the same time. Keeping your employees on the job and productive is a good thing. Exterior lighting can go a long way towards helping with that.
Resources :
https://www.buildings.com/article-details/articleid/3084/title/exterior-lighting-for-safety-and-security
http://darksky.org/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/Safety-Brochure_FINAL2_33.pdf
https://www.facilitiesnet.com/lighting/article/Outdoor-Lighting-For-Safety-And-Security-Is-A-Complicated-Matter-Facilities-Management-Lighting-Feature–13660
Detroit and LA https://www.delmarfans.com/educate/outdoor-security-lighting/
NYC – https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2017/01/detroit-lights-darkened-streets-crime-rate-drops
