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Red Light Cameras

High tech watchdogs are out to catch you in the act

Depending on whom you ask, running red lights is either a major threat to life as we know it, or not really that big of a deal. That polarized difference of opinion has been brought to a boil by one of the latest weapons in the traffic law-enforcement arsenal, the red light camera. They're popping up in cities all over the country, and are a particularly efficient way for cops to nail drivers who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. An innocuous-looking letter arrives in the offender's mailbox weeks or even months after the offence, complete with a photo of the infraction happening, along with fine. Talk about hate mail!

How It Works

Red Light Camera systems consist of a computer, one or more triggers, and one or more cameras. The design of the triggers varies but is usually an induction loop buried in the pavement that senses when a vehicle enters the intersection. The computer compares the vehicle position information with the signal timing (which it also controls) and operates the cameras only when a violation is taking place. Several camera angles capture images (normally digital instead of film) of the evil perpetrator's car, day or night. Most systems won't show who is actually driving the car (perhaps your evil twin?), but the way the laws are written in most states, the ticket goes on the record of the registered owner regardless. So you can scream all you want about it not being you behind the wheel—if you own the car, you get the violation. Some states have red light camera laws that do require a positive ID photo of the driver; systems in those states have an additional camera positioned to capture and image of the driver's face.

The Controversy

Running red lights is a bad thing, and nobody wants to get T-boned by somebody who ignores a stoplight. There is considerable argument about how big of a problem red-light running really is in America. The pro red light camera crowd (insurance people, many legislators and law enforcement) claims that collisions caused by red light runners comprise about 22 percent of all accidents and kill some 800 people each year. They claim to have studies that prove that red-light cameras reduce red light violations and intersection crashes. The anti red light crowd (motorist's rights groups, privacy groups, anti-tax groups and still more legislators) question the urgency of the red light problem, and the true reason for the rapid nationwide implementation of red light cameras. They claim to have proof of cases in some cities where cameras were installed at intersections with "short" yellow lights, instead of intersections in the area that are the most dangerous—purportedly to increase the number of unintentional red light runners to collect more in fines for local government. This disturbing possibility is bolstered by the disquieting fact that the typical $50,000 red light camera system is often supplied by the manufacturer at reduced cost to the city in return for a cut of the traffic fines it generates.

Regardless of whether red light cameras are true safety advancement or merely the latest way to separate you from your money, they're fast becoming a fact of life for today's urban drivers. So drive cautiously—and be sure to smile for the camera.