During our grant delivery in Brownwood last week, we came to this intersection and noticed how many lights there were. Sure it wasn’t a perfect 90 degree angle intersection, but it seemed like a lot of street lights and poles.
In this photo alone there are 11 visible street lights with double-decker poles.
Fail or safety first?

It’s a tough call, no doubt about it, but I have to go “safety first” on this one. There are simply too many poor drivers out there. I would prefer a couple of extra lights if it cuts down on accidents.
Said another way, if the extra lights (and extra energy used) prevent even just 1 accident (one potential fatality) a year, I think that’s a fair trade off.