Red-Light Camera Backlash, Are They Causing Accidents?

It's the "Gotcha!" flash that no driver wants to see after
running a red light. And it's quickly becoming the
target of critics who say the cameras may cause
drivers to take desperate measures to avoid being
caught on film.

Red-light cameras, designed to catch drivers who run
lights and endanger others, are now the subject of
significant debate because some believe they may
cause more harm than good.

"If people are stopping short because they are
thinking about the camera, that is making things
much more dangerous," said Patrick McElroy, a driver
in Los Angeles.

It is a controversy that is leading to a red-light
camera backlash. Houston has already voted them
out, and now the driving capital of the world, Los
Angeles, is on the verge of doing the same.

According to the National Conference of State
Legislatures, nine states have banned red-light
cameras. Several others have passed laws limiting the
use of camera enforcement.

There is evidence to support both sides of the debate.
A study this year by the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety claims that in 14 of America's largest
cities the cameras have saved 159 lives during a
four-year period.

The study also said that if all 99 of the country's
largest cities had them installed, 815 lives could have
been saved.

"Cities that have had these programs are saving
people's lives," said Adrian Lund, president of the
institute.

On the other side of the debate are statistics that
show the cameras also cause accidents. A 2005
federal study demonstrated that while injuries from
right angle or T-bone crashes decreased by 16
percent at red-light camera intersections, injuries
from rear-end collisions increased by 24 percent.

The final argument in the debate in Los Angeles may
have already been decided by the courts. The courts

have ruled that violations caught on a photo are
unenforceable since there is no live witness to testify
against an alleged offender.

Nearly half the tickets issued in Los Angeles go
unpaid without consequence, leaving the city paying
$1.5 million a year for unpopular, if lifesaving
cameras.

Washington Towns Against Traffic

In Longview, Wash., Josh Sutinen, 17, is pushing an
initiative to ban the city's new red-light and speeding
cameras. Longview started a yearlong pilot program
in February and placed cameras at three intersections
and two school zones.

"I don't want any of that here," Sutinen said. "I want to
get them out before they are accepted in the public."

Sutinen said that there were better ways for Longview
to keep its roads safe, such as using radar to measure
and display speed -- "Little guilt trips work" -- and
even increasing how long a light stays yellow and red
before changing.

Elsewhere in Washington, a Bellingham group turned
in close to 7,000 signatures, Redmond activists were
still collecting signatures, and in Monroe officials
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Red-Light Camera Backlash, Are They Causing Accidents?

blocked a ballot initiative that would have allowed the
public to vote on the cameras.

All four towns are hoping to follow in the footsteps of
Mukilteo, Wash., where the cameras have been
removed.

Sutinen said that he needs 2,800 signatures for his
effort to make it onto the November ballot. Of the
3,600 he's collected, the city found that only 1,900
were valid. He said his group was doing well getting
citizens to sign.

"We've been slamming the pavement," Sutinen said.

Even if he reaches the needed number of signatures,
Sutinen faces a lawsuit from the city that asserts the
cameras initiative is not up for referendum. The court
is expected to rule on the matter July 11.
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