Streetlights

From a PGE flyer: "Streetlights can help prevent accidents and discourage criminal activity." Do they? Or are they just a waste of electricity generating light pollution that keeps up from seeing the stars?

I suppose in a commercial district they are a good idea. I am not so sure they are a good idea in residential districts, especially after midnight. When I lived in Phoenix there were some residential neighborhoods that did not have street lights. You go over there on a moonless night and it was dark. Really dark. I was talking to a resident of one such area and they were convinced that the lack of street lights had kept the criminal element from bothering them. They had never had an incident in their cul-de-sac in the 20 years they had lived there. I can see it. Why go stumbling around in the dark? when there are other neighborhoods that have street lights and you can see if there is anything worth stealing without getting out of your car. Sure they could case the joint in the day time, and come back at night with flashlights, but that would require planning and preparation, something the so-called criminal element does not have in abundance.