Red Light Cameras In VA To Be Turned Off

[mcs328]

http://wtop.com/?sid=537268&nid=25

Red Light Cameras to be Turned Off
Updated: Wednesday, Jun. 29, 2005 - 4:06 PM

Local lawmakers will flip the switch on several red light cameras in Virginia this Friday.

The cameras will be turned off because the Virginia General Assembly did not extend the pilot program, which began in the 1990's. It now operates in six northern Virginia localities and in Virginia Beach.

Supporters of the cameras say they discourage red-light runners and prevent broadside crashes. Opponents say they increased rear-end accidents and invade privacy.

The system takes pictures of vehicles and their license plates if the vehicle enters the intersection after the light turns red.

Drivers are fined $50 for each offense.

Sergeant Mark Summerell with Virginia Beach police says the red-light cameras caused a big drop in drivers running red lights. He says the system "was changing driver behavior."

Northern Virginia and Virginia Beach plan to lobby the General Assembly in January to reinstate the cameras.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think they should keep them on. I wonder if it's still a cash cow or have they drove red light runners to such small numbers the revenue generated from them doesn't cover the operating costs.

[guiseppewv]

Cash cow. There is a camera in alexandria or arlington that has a sign that says something like "XXX tickets issued by this camera last month". When I saw the sign in May it was something like 8XX. Multiply that by $50 a pop and you have over $40k just from one camera in one month. You are talking ~1/2 million just from that one camera in a given year. That is major $$$$$$$ for the areas that have them.

[Mike_N_Ike]

$50 for a red light violation seems kind of cheap.

[Thesifer]

Drivers are fined $50 for each offense. Same here.. I was thinking that as reading.. WTF? Its like 300$ or something in California.. and they voted to keep them.. (Course california [specially san diego] is majorly broke ) so they gotta keep the cow goin.

[bachviet]

Drivers are fined $50 for each offense. Same here.. I was thinking that as reading.. WTF? Its like 300$ or something in California.. and they voted to keep them.. (Course california [specially san diego] is majorly broke ) so they gotta keep the cow goin.

Ticket costs over $300 in CA for red light running when caught with camera.

[psycho-]

Gotta love the cow.

But on the flipside, have you guys have ever seen a dying person being dragged out of a crushed car by paramedics; all because some idiot decided to run the red light?

[navyones]

California has been utilizing the courts as a "cash cow" for some time now. It isn't just coincidence that the courts have been busier than ever since California got into a budget crisis.

[mcs328]

I haven't seen that sign but I don't go down that far into VA. Hmm...I would like to see a running total of how many tickets were served that month at the intersection. Of course it might cause driver distraction to process that info while running the light . It lets everyone know that the camera is working and if the situation is improving, worsening or same old same old.

[tupacboy]

$50... now that's a deal!

[guiseppewv]

Gotta love the cow.

But on the flipside, have you guys have ever seen a dying person being dragged out of a crushed car by paramedics; all because some idiot decided to run the red light?

Studies have been done that suggest lengthening the yellow light or have both directions red at the same time would prevent that too.

I haven't seen that sign but I don't go down that far into VA. Hmm...I would like to see a running total of how many tickets were served that month at the intersection. Of course it might cause driver distraction to process that info while running the light . It lets everyone know that the camera is working and if the situation is improving, worsening or same old same old.

My thought is that maybe the yellow light timing needs to be lengthened a little and the number would drop.


Good riddance, is what I say. I have found myself slamming my foot on the brake b/c I thought that an intersection had a camera when it would have been safer to go through the light as compared to possibly have someone rear-end me.

[Grimm]

In San Diego they deactivated the system for a time because they found out the company that runs the cameras (and makes $200 of the $277 charged) had shortened the yellow light time to 2 seconds, which is shorter than the law allows for. Drivers who legitimately didn't have time to safely slow down for the lights were being ticketed.

The economic model used for the cameras in California concerns me. Not as much as the culture of surveilance that is being established, but it is worrysome.

[psycho-]

Studies have been done that suggest lengthening the yellow light or have both directions red at the same time would prevent that too.

The IIHS has shown that lengthening the yellow light doesn't significantly reduce red light running. Apperantly, people can adapt to longer times. Remember, the IIHS has an economic incentive to ensure less accidents...moreso than anyone else.

http://www.iihs.org/safety_facts/comments.htm

[Grimm]

The IIHS has shown that lengthening the yellow light doesn't significantly reduce red light running. Apperantly, people can adapt to longer times. Remember, the IIHS has an economic incentive to ensure less accidents...moreso than anyone else.

http://www.iihs.org/safety_facts/comments.htm

Actualy the report you linked states that properly timed yellow lights can reduce it by 12%. That is significant.

The problem occurs when the lights are deliberately shortened to catch people driving normaly as running red lights. This happened. I got a ticket at a light that was shortened to 2 seconds of yellow. The legal minimum was 3. If I had known this before I had paid the ticket it would have saved me $277.
The report also states that a yellow light should be 4+ seconds. And if it is too long people will run them.
There is an economic benifit for private companies to break the law to make more red light runners. Is this safety?!?
These companies need to stop getting a (big) piece of the ticket and get a flat fee so they stop trying to rig the system.

[psycho-]

Actually, 12% in the world of statistics is just a blip. It's not significant enough when 88% of red light running that would have occured still ends up occuring. There needs to be a better solution to stop down red light runners than to lengthen yellow lights.

[SnowSurfer]

something i was thinking about...

do these red light cameras catch motorcycles too?

if so, if you were to wheelie through the light it couldnt see your rear plate...


i see people run blatently red lights, the only time i go through if it is going to be red 1 second after i am under it....but i never blatenly just burn through one which is stupid.

*cash cow*

[Grimm]

Actually, 12% in the world of statistics is just a blip. It's not significant enough when 88% of red light running that would have occured still ends up occuring. There needs to be a better solution to stop down red light runners than to lengthen yellow lights.

12% is just a blip?!?! I call Bulls**t.

[psycho-]

12% is just a blip?!?! I call Bulls**t.

I also call a claim that a near 90% ineffective rate as a "significant" improvement utter bulls**t

[guiseppewv]

Well, no more red light cameras in VA effective TODAY!!!!!! Yippie!!!! Now if I could just convince MD to do the same thing but in an article posted on G|A a while back by att, MD is actually expanding the "cash cow".

[Nanotech9]

yeah - wheeling through the light woudl be easy... except i have an even easier solution... my tag is mounted vertically on my swing arm... from the side it rises at a 45 degree angle (the swingarm angle - maybe not a true 45).

anyway, if i want to conceal my tag i could easily place my left foot over the tag momentarily. of course, i'de never do something like that.