Red Light Cameras Improve Safety

A recent report from the Tennessee Center for Policy Research calls for removing red light cameras across Tennessee because they are unsafe, unnecessary and unconstitutional.

The policy group claims the only thing that increases with the use of red light cameras is the amount of money that goes from drivers to the cities that install them and to the companies that operate them.

Sorry, folks, but the policy center is wrong.

Red light cameras are used in 25 states, including Tennessee and Virginia, and the District of Columbia. They overwhelmingly have reduced right-angle or T-bone accidents at intersections. Drivers who know the cameras are there are likely to slow down and obey the traffic lights.

The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running notes that by a margin of 11-1, studies confirm photo enforcement’s effectiveness.

A sampling:

* Charlotte, N.C.: Red light running violations dropped by more than 70 percent in the first year of use.

* New York City: Red light violations declined 62 percent at camera intersections.

* Columbus, Ohio: Red light running violations declined 71 percent in the first six months, without a single rear-end collision.

* Fairfax, Va.: Red light running violations declined 44 percent after one year of enforcement.

Kingsport, Tenn., has seen its fines skyrocket from about $342,000 in 2006, before installing the cameras, to about $1.5 million today.

And about half that money goes to Red Flex, the company that installs and operates the cameras.

But Kingsport Deputy Police Chief David Quillin stressed that the city’s focus has always been on safety. T-bone-type accidents have reduced by 50 percent, he noted in a recent interview with our television partner, WJHL.

He also noted that Tennessee courts have routinely ruled that using red light cameras is constitutional. So have every other state.

The reason is that driving is not a constitutional right. It is a privilege that comes with responsibilities.

One of them is to obey the speed limit; another is to stop for red lights. If you are caught running a red light, and there is photographic evidence of you streaking through, most people admit their error and pay the fine.

This is the area where opponents bring in constitutional complaints about the cameras. As evidence of constitutional trampling, they point to the fact that nearly all people ticketed are convicted in court without the ability to confront their accusers.

True, you can’t confront a red light camera; but you can try and prove it wasn’t your car.

According to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, there were 171,000 crashes, 144,000 injuries and 887 deaths due to red light running in 2006. Public costs are estimated at $14 billion per year. And who gets killed? More than half the deaths are other motorists and pedestrians; in other words, innocent people who weren’t running the red light.

Justin Owen, director of legal policy for the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, suggests removing the red light cameras and lengthening the yellow caution light from a half second to one-and-a-half seconds to reduce accidents and allow more time to clear the intersection.

If the yellow light is too short, lengthening it could help give some drivers more time to stop or to clear the intersection.

But lengthening the yellow light does nothing to discourage intentional red light running.

Virginia did a 10-year pilot study on red light cameras, and the General Assembly has passed enabling legislation so Virginia localities can approve using the cameras, if they choose.

The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running says there are three “Es” to keep motorists safer – engineering (that the cameras are properly designed and installed), enforcement by police and education.

We say there is another element as well: Citizens must take responsibility for their actions.

Many who hate these cameras think they shouldn’t be punished because “no one was looking” or a police officer wasn’t around. Take responsibility for your actions and take your lumps when you make a mistake and get caught.