Hot or Not: Red-Light Cameras
May 26 2009 by Jennifer Newman
In theory, I’m all for red-light cameras. They’re used to deter drivers from running red lights, which helps keep traffic flowing freely. However, when I’m driving toward an intersection with a red-light camera, I usually break out in a cold sweat.
Red-light cameras are used to enforce traffic laws by taking photos of drivers that run red lights, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The cameras record a bunch of information, including the date and time of the infraction, along with the car’s license plate, and the violations are usually mailed to car owners. The violation doesn’t affect your driving record, but there is a fine.
This raises a question: Are city governments using cameras to deter red-light runners or to raise revenue? According to Jalopnik.com, Dallas turned off some of its red-light cameras in 2007 because they weren’t generating enough money to pay for themselves. If red-light cameras are anything other than moneymakers, shouldn’t red-light runners face more than a fine for their infraction?
I have an irrational fear of somehow getting caught accidentally running a red light. I don’t run red lights on purpose, but I will admit to running a few yellow ones here and there. If I were to slam on the brakes at every yellow light, I’d greatly increase my chances of getting in a rear-end collision.
Are red-light cameras Hot or Not? Tell us in the comment section below.
User Comments
I always wonder if they’re really on, or just there to freak me out. It feels a bit “Big Brother” to me. And I worry what will happen once the robots take over. And what if they catch me squeezing a zit while waiting for a red light? I mean, not that I do that, I’m just saying. It would be embarrassing. Stupid cameras.
I feel it is govenrment intrusion. If I get caught acting irresponsibly by a person, I have no issue paying the consequence. However, I want to be ticketed by a human being I can communicate with and not a machine. In addition, having police on the street watching for this activity may catch drunk drivers, tailgaters, and other actions that are just as dangerous (or more dangerous).
Unfortunately, red light cameras are abused more often than used to actually reduce traffic infractions. I recall the companies running these camera scams charging an arm and a leg for their services, causing the need to ticket more people and for some cities to shorten yellow lights to ticket more people.
The downside is that it takes significant manpower to manually police intersections. The middle ground would be for states to enact laws enabling points on your license, but only for people that enter intersections after the light has been red for at least half a second…a very blatant violation.
I must say that I absolutely agree with the writer. There are some people out there who lack the presence of mind to know that Red is Stop. I do have an issue with the camera. I do not like the Big Brother issue. It is very much like Orwell’s book in the real world.
I admit, I got a ticket from one! (I get a moving violation about once every five years and I’ve never been in an accident in the twenty years I’ve been driving.) I hate the red light cameras. It *is* Big Brother coming and also there is a real unfairness to the size of the tickets. $270 is no big deal to someone earning $80,000 a year but to someone earning $25,000 with a child to support it means the difference between being able to pay the rent, or gas bill or buy much needed new athletic shoes for the child. I’ve been there.
I’m in agreement with Jalopnik, they are a revenue generating stream. If the attempt is to deter would be red light runners, local municipalities would assign a human to issue citations that can affect the driver’s record. It would be important to document that a driver has committed a seriously dangerous act, and make sure it’s recorded appropriately. They can cite a driver, because with this technique, they can’t ID the driver, just the owner.
I share the same thought toward Speed Camera.
If they want to deter people, just spend money on signs and dummy cameras. No one has to know they aren’t real.