What real purpose does the Red Light Camera System serve?
Red light running is a leading cause of urban crashes and often causes injury and death. According to the Federal Highway Administration, approximately 250 people nationwide are killed or injured each day by red light violators. This amounts to more than 1,100 deaths and over 150,000 injuries a year in crashes that result from running red lights. More than half of the deaths are pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles who are hit by red light violators. Studies show that red light cameras significantly reduce the number of red light violations and intersection crashes. Photo enforcement is a proven deterrent that changes behavior and leads to safer driving habits. Red light cameras also provide a more effective means of law enforcement than traditional enforcement methods carried out by police. Enforcing traffic laws in dense urban areas proves difficult for police officers, as they typically follow a violating vehicle through the red signal in order to cite it. Traffic volume and
