Do red light cams make driving more dangerous?

by PegNews wire

Do red light cams make driving more dangerous? One member of the Pegasus community sure thinks so. Here is what user L5_Colonist had to say:

In all the articles I've seen about the red light cameras coming to Dallas none of them offer a legal definition of what constitutes "running a red light" in Dallas. A policeman I asked told me that different cities have different definitions. +Does entering the intersection on yellow and not exiting before the light turns red mean you'll get a ticket? If that's the case then we may well have more "rear-enders" caused by people changing their minds and slamming on the brakes to avoid entering the intersection if they think they won't make it across in time. I think a rear-ender is better than being "T-boned" by someone entering the intersection from the side with a red light after the traffic with the green begins to enter the intersection. +Another question: Is any consideration given to someone trying to make an unprotected left turn who enters the intersection on a green light and has to wait for opposing traffic to clear long enough to complete the turn -- sometimes after the light turns red?

According to Chapter 544 of the downloadable version of the Texas Transportation Code:

(e) an operator of a vehicle facing a steady yellow signal is warned by that signal that:

(1) movement authorized by a green signal is being terminated; or

(2) a red signal is to be given.

That's no help at all, and it's the closest the Code comes to the subject.

A call to Melany Martinez, Executive Assistant at the Dallas Public Works and Transportation Department has gone unanswered.

Meanwhile, Dallas Defense Attorney Stephanie Gonzales confirms that there is no set definition. "The City of Fort Worth will interpret [running a red light] a little different, and the City of Dallas will interpret it a little different," she says.

So what do you think? Are the red light cams going to increase safety, or will they set off a domino effect causing wrecks all across DFW leading to sheer pandemonium and rioting? Or is it somewhere in the middle?

Posted by Alan

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

semberson, says:

The most interesting point about the red light cameras - they are usually provided to a city for free, with "rent" being a percentage of the ticket fees going to the provider. Lockheed Martin IMS is one such provider, and according to http://seclists.org/politech/2001/Jul... takes $70 per $271 ticket. Sounds pretty lucrative to both the city and the provider, and makes you question the public safety aspect of red light cameras. http://www.theagitator.com/archives/0... cites a study that suggests increasing the length of the yellow light causes red light running incidents to decrease.

Anonymous

2 years, 12 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Alan Cohen, says:

Here is an interesting link that Blue Shoe Mike emailed me that would back up the argument of red light cameras leading to more accidents ... http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/14/1... There is even some KXAS footage attached to the article.

Staff

2 years, 11 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Robert Brooks, says:

Regarding the question of "someone trying to make an unprotected left turn who enters the intersection on a green light and has to wait for opposing traffic to clear." I recently took Defensive Driving (hint: watch those speed zones in Terrell!) and this issue was discussed specifically. According to Texas law, you are not allowed to enter the intersection unless you can make it through to the other side. In other words, you could get busted for the situation described.

For what it's worth, when I learned to drive in Oklahoma, I remember specifically being taught to pull into the intersection in that case! But then, Oklahoma doesn't allow you to pull onto the shoulder to let faster drivers pass on rural roads, so I guess it's a wash. Disclaimer: I'm not your driving teacher, so don't quote me to the friendly officer who pulls you over.

Verified

2 years, 10 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

Alan Cohen, says:

Thats good info Robert. To me it becomes a question of weighing your point about the precise letter of the law against the practical effect that red light cameras have on drivers.

In this case, the law was intended to make people safer on the roads, so I think tie goes to the practical effect.