Majority of Drivers Favor Red Light Cameras, Study Claims

To fight red light camera ticket fines, drivers and attorneys alike have gone to great lengths and claimed invasion of privacy and inability to prove guilt. A new study now finds that drivers actually really like their cities' red light cameras. Who sponsored it?

Embracing Red Light Cameras

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) issued a press release Thursday that revealed an unanticipated attitude among drivers with respect to red light cameras. Approximately two-thirds of drivers surveyed in 14 major cities approved of red light camera locations. The study included the opinions of 3,000 residents.

Broken down by cities, the most support was found in Washington, D.C., with 78 percent of drivers favoring the use of the cameras. Chandler, Ariz., came in second with 75 percent, while Long Beach, Calif., had the lowest level of support with 48 percent.

How Red Light Cameras Work

The technology is simple: An intersection is outfitted with cameras, a computer and trigger technology. If a vehicle activates the trigger, usually by driving through an intersection when the light is set to red, cameras snap one or two photos. The computer stores the information and matches the license plate to the registered owner. A red light camera ticket is sent to the owner, who may or may not choose to fight it.

Photo Enforcement Detractors

Although in theory the locations should be some of the safest intersections in town, there are plenty of detractors who just don't see it this way. ABC News quotes Los Angeles driver Patrick McElroy, who explains that "if people are stopping short because they are thinking about the camera, that is making things much more dangerous."

If you have ever been forced to slam on the brakes behind a driver doing the same, you know exactly what he means. Indeed, Houston ordered these cameras out -- with a 53 percent majority of the electorate -- and the Los Angeles City Council, for all its cash woes, also contemplates their removal. It is noteworthy that the IIHS counters Houston's naysayers; 57 percent of its polled drivers favored red light cameras.

Going Ahead

Although the IIHS acknowledges that so far some eight cities have banned red light camera locations altogether, other cities are coming on board and embracing photo enforcement. Case in point is Des Moines, Iowa. KCCI News warns drivers that beginning July 3 at 12:01 a.m., the technology will be switched on to issue a red light camera ticket to any driver foolish enough to run an intersection.

At least until the voters there, too, make their displeasure heard.

Sources

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: "Most drivers favor red light cameras, a new survey of 14 big U.S. cities finds"

ABC News: "Red-Light Camera Backlash, Are They Causing Accidents?"

KCCI News: "New Traffic Camera Warning Period Ends Sunday"