Suffolk County's Red Light Safety Program: Making Roads Safer

A couple of weeks ago I got something in the mail I had been expecting. The return address on the envelope told me so. The address read: "Red Light Safety Program of Suffolk County." My suspicions had been confirmed. I'd heard about this before and knew it happened when it did, but I'm not angry about it. In fact, I'm kind of glad it happened.

Early last summer, my little sister got a letter from the same place. It was a warning notice that she'd been caught making a right hand turn at a red light somewhere near her house. The warning came complete with photographs of her car and a link to a videotape of the incident. She was lucky as there was no citation involved, only the warning that if another incident was caught on one of the county's cameras there would be.

So that night in December when I made the same mistake and saw the flash of the video camera, I knew what was coming. Only I received a $50 citation, along with the same photos and URL to the video link of the incident. I didn't need, nor did I care to see that. I knew what I had done. I committed the infringement and I deserve to be punished for it.

As an advocate for safer roads, I actually think that the Suffolk County Red Light Safety Program is a good idea whose time has come. I only hope it does what it is meant to do and someday will be expanded to include other types of violations.

Here are some important things to know about Suffolk County's Red Light Safety Program:

- The goal of the program is to change driver behavior at red light intersections where a great number of traffic accidents occur. According to the program's website, over 165,000 people are injured each year by red light runners.

- The program is the result of engineering, education and enforcement efforts to improve the safety on Suffolk County's roads. Cameras have been installed in traffic lights at up to 50 intersections deemed unsafe by statistical information. The cameras monitor intersection approaches through "advanced detection and imaging technology." They are activated only when the light turns red. Vehicles crossing the stop line after the light has changed are detected automatically.

- For each violation, the cameras take two photographs and a video of the vehicle progressing through the red light. They record information such as the date, time elapsed after the light turned red, and the vehicle's speed. Images are taken from the rear of the vehicle and the license plate helps to identify the owner of the car who will receive the citation.

- Since the driver is not photographed, it cannot be proven who committed the violation. As such, the registered owner of the vehicle receives the citation. There are no negative points issued on the driving record for committing a violation, only the fine.

These types of programs are popping up all over the country and it's a win-win for all of us. For one thing, it will make drivers think twice before running a red light anywhere, thereby making our roads that much safer. It is also a decidedly steady revenue stream for always cash-strapped local governments.

I didn't mind paying my citation in the least. I violated the rules of the road and I deserve to pay for it. At least I didn't receive any violations on my driving record, which would have caused me even more trouble than just the $50. The program did its job with me, as now I always think twice whenever I'm approaching a changing light. Let's hope it works for others, too!

For more information on Suffolk County's Red Light Safety Program, visit their website here.