Red Light Camera Maker Releases Crash Footage Montage

Clearly, anyone can see how much safer those intersections are with those red light cameras!

I have mixed feelings about red light cameras. These carefully chosen examples are less about running red lights than demonstrations of distracted, drunk or just moronic driving. In one of the scenes I wondered if there was a visual clutter overload issue that meant the driver simply did not realise that junction had a light at all. Many of those shots involved somebody shooting the light straight on from the right turn only lane. What does that have to do with running the lights?

The reason given that video only is not taken as evidence in this state is that it violates our 5th amendment rights as the cameras almost never get a picture of the driver. Fair enough. However, even if the cameras did get your picture, Nevada would not go for it as automatic systems do not discriminate between Joe Schmo and casino execs, mayors, off duty cops, councilmen, etc. NV, the biggest small town you'll ever live in, and fixing justice just the same way.

I don't have mixed feelings about red light cameras. They don't stop people from running red lights (as this video clearly demonstrates) and they are oversensitive even if you make a complete stop. They are clearly intended only as a revenue generating scheme. Maybe if they donated the revenue from red light cameras to the victims of crashes due to running red lights, I could be a little more supportive. But it's awfully coincidental that there is a direct correlation between municipalities' dwindling coffers and the widespread adoption of automated traffic control systems.

Haha. I'm reading this on my iPhone while drivi

"These carefully chosen examples are less about running red lights than demonstrations of distracted, drunk or just moronic driving."

Agreed. Inattention seemed to be issue in the video in most cases, rather than purposeful running of the light. A camera, in this case, would do very little to improve compliance. Cameras are usually installed where drivers have a tendancy to "extend the green time" and enter the intersection after the light has changed from green to amber to red.

Also, if you play this along with a recording of yakety sax on youtube, it's quite entertaining.

Red light cameras reduce signal violations. End of story. It is proven.
Revenue debate and legality debate are matters of opinion and law. I'll keep my opinion to myself.
Obeying traffic signals and driving with attitude of respect and awareness would seem to be a good thing, though not very popular present day.

@justinlink

You can do that with any video actually:

http://bennyhillifier.com/

PS. I was joking when I said I was reading this article on my iPhone. I actually don't like Apple products. Android for life yo!

If they want to reduce accidents, put a donut patrol (with flashing lights) at the intersections with poor safety record.
Automated ticket issuance with poorly-calibrated systems is nothing but revenue generation, hiding behind the facade of public safety.
What ever happened to "the right to face the accuser"? Oh right. Traffic incidents are now downgraded to infractions instead of offenses. Constitution be damned.

moparbad says:
12:39 PM, 12/29/11
Red light cameras reduce signal violations. End of story. It is proven.

It's also proven that they DON'T reduce accidents. They trade T-boning for rear-ending.

I timed one in my town. 55mph speed limit on a 6-lane road. Every Yellow I timed was 4 seconds long EXCEPT the intersection with the camera, it was 3 seconds.

I was captured making a right on red 26 seconds after it turned red....got a $50 ticket two weeks later. I now try to avoid the intersection at all costs...but if I can't I just hold up traffic and wait for a green light to turn. (yes, its a legal right on red, but the camera doesn't care, it just starts flashing like mad as people turn. Been doing that since it was installed in April)

Cameras are nothing but an over-promised revenue stream. The trend seems to be about 4-5 years of continuing negative revenue before counties realized they were sold a big lie. Majority of the profits go to the private company who installed the systems. I get a ticket in NY and have to mail my payment to Denver, CO....wtf!?!?

These systems are reviewed by at least two people. The company that set up the camera downloads the video and photos and then sends images and video to local police departments for a further review. If two people think someone rolled through a red light, then maybe they did. Just say'in.

If you are attentive to your driving, you won't be generating revenue for that camera company and police department. Just like if you don't steal clothes, you won't worry about the anti-theft devices and sensors at mall entrances and the accompanying cameras placed all over the store.

stoppre75,
That's a good trade off. T-bone = dead/seriously injured. Rear -ended = not so serious.
Front-back collisions are good. Side collisions are bad.

I think red-light runners who make contact (with another car or a person) should automatically lose their license, or at least get some serious fines. You don't need cameras for that... but they do help catch the hit-and-runs.

And contrary to many peoples' beliefs, yellows do not mean accelerate.

My coworker and I almost got tagged at lunchtime today, as we were in a crosswalk. We had the "Walk" signal, and were already halfway through the intersection when a red-runner who had already missed the green light by good 5 seconds tried to get through. Yes, the intersection has well-advertised cameras.

We heard him lock his brakes in the middle of the intersection and when we turned around, he had the audacity to yell at us from inside his car. So maybe his inattentiveness made him think we were jaywalking?

If my more-pacifist friend was not with me, I might have walked up to this guy's car and said, "Congratulations! You've just had your picture taken by 4 cameras, expect your several-hundred dollar reward in the mail in about 4-5 weeks."

Just my two...but we just got red light cameras here within the last 2 months, and I'll tell you what...I don't push it. I watch the pedestrian countdown and if it's going to be close at all, I'll start slowing down. I also won't go to these intersections needing to make a right turn on the off chance I do it on red and it snaps the pic incorrectly. I don't have the patience to turn my gopro on every time I drive.

Note that at the 1:00 mark, the vehicle legally entered the intersection on yellow before the light turned red at least 1 second later.

"Note that at the 1:00 mark, the vehicle legally entered the intersection on yellow before the light turned red at least 1 second later."

Had someone turn left in front of me almost exactly like this.

Looked to me that at least half of those videos showed people not even slowing down for the intersection, almost as if they didn't even see the red light. It seems to me that "distracted" driving causes an awful lot of these accidents, and I really doubt that if these drivers knew there was a camera at the intersection they would have reacted, or more appropriately, failed to react, any differently. If Johnny law wants to make some money, start ticketing distracted drivers.

I have no problem with red light cameras. There is no excuse for running a red light... end of story.

I've never been a fan of signaled intersections, let alone red light cameras. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the common four-way intersection is become an obsolete form of traffic control in the USA; just look at countries in Europe and Oceania. The red light is no longer the aid it once was. Waiting in queues during rush hour, or having to idle in the dead of night because of a robot telling you when you can and cannot go regardless of traffic flow is not ideal. Instead of investing in methods to improve the physical safety of these intersections, potentially saving thousands of people from injury annually, our local governments have turned to quick fixes, as a way to earn revenue off of poor drivers. Sure, if you cannot stop when you are told and you injure another motorist, you are at blame. But what if the possibility of ever running a light in the first place were to disappear completely?

This is why I advocate for the installation of modern roundabouts at suitable intersections. With a roundabout, every motorist must drive actively and with the fullest attention. Crashes that do occur are minor; sideswipes at the worst. In the end, everyone wins: local communities benefit because they no longer need to allocate funds to replace lights and maintain fixtures, and motorists because they get to where they need to go in a quicker and more secure manner.

In conclusion, I agree with kurt_ ; these intersections are no where near safer with these cameras in place. With free-flowing traffic, it would become so.

Here is a great video that simulates safe moving traffic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0RcTWEBtYM&feature=related

" I don't have the patience to turn my gopro on every time I drive."

How do you think they got the video to show here? You can actually request to watch the video of your infraction.

" these intersections are no where near safer with these cameras in place."

What they need to do is put out some very serious penalties to the people that blatantly blast through the light if they want to stop the really dangerous penalty

"The trend seems to be about 4-5 years of continuing negative revenue before counties realized they were sold a big lie."

OK so the City/Town has to SIGN a contract with the vendor of the red light camera systems. Maybe the elected officials should do their homework instead of seeing $$ in bold print so they can line their pockets with.

The video says it is a compilation of hits and "near misses." A "near miss" is a hit. If you nearly missed, you hit!

@jeffreyo

There are technically a couple of ways to parse the phrase: 'near-miss,' as in 'it almost missed,' or 'near miss,' as in 'a miss by a small margin.'

I think the latter is broadly accepted.

The incident at the 1:00 mark does show a potential problem with the red light cameras. At intersections with yield-on-green left turns it is common for the turning car to partially enter the intersection while waiting for a safe gap to make the turn. Then the light turns yellow and with the red light camera, if you don't complete your turn before it turns red you get a ticket. So there is an incentive to turn even if it looks like someone coming the other way is also going to blow through the yellow. Still a bad call, but the incentive is there.

"Obeying traffic signals and driving with attitude of respect and awareness would seem to be a good thing, though not very popular present day."

+1000 that is shown right here on this very board every day. People brag about street racing etc and make fun of people that drive safely and defensively. It is so sad that some people think safe driving is boring and one cant be cool dude without burnouts and high speeds.

"f you are attentive to your driving, you won't be generating revenue for that camera company and police department. Just like if you don't steal clothes, you won't worry about the anti-theft devices and sensors at mall entrances and the accompanying cameras placed all over the store."

Again +100

Also it isn't fair to say red light cameras replaced t-boning with rear end collisions. Clearly the t-boning still happens at intersections with a red light camera. The rear end collisions are an added cherry on top.

A couple of months ago, we were without power for 11 days.
People were pretty respectful for the most part, but the longer the power was out,
the more you had to watch for the intersection runners.

"Then the light turns yellow and with the red light camera, if you don't complete your turn before it turns red you get a ticket."

Not on the red light cameras I've checked into. They take more then one picture and if you enter the intersection on the yellow you do not get it a ticket even if it turns red before you clear it.

The purpose is to catch people who run reds, not to catch people who get caught in the intersection.

However I can't speak for every city.

The best part about this is knowing that these people will get a red light ticket on top of their increased insurance rates... Can't support speeding cameras, but red light cameras do make a bit of sense.

Red Light Camera's are the most UN-AMERICAN thing in the world. Pakistan is more American than Red-Light Camera companies.

They are a horrible terrible idea. They INCREASE accidents while burning our Constitutional rights.

They mock the justice system and are all about revenue, not about safety.

The NMA recently offerred any city $10,000 to try engineering solutions rather than red light camera traffic solutions.

andres3

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or just completely clueless. How can people running red lights and killing innocent people be unamerican? Do you feel it's your right to do whatever you want no matter who it hurts? Is that your definition of being an American?

You don't need an engineering solution... it's really very simple... light turns yellow... slow down and stop. Grow a brain or take the bus.

@firstwagon:
I think one can assume most people wouldn't knowingly blast through a red light. By and large people tend to follow the law in the name of self preservation when it comes to intersections. So if the intersection has a camera (or not) one generally will obey the light.
OTOH, if that person is drunk, inattentive, or whatever, then they may blast through the intersection whether a camera is present or not. They are too oblivious to stop.
So do cameras really prevent DWI and texting while driving that cause drivers to blow through lights and cause major accidents? Logically, no, they don't.
Does your town and the RLC company make a profit selling your town council the camera system, yes they do.
So which seems more likely to you, the intersection will be safer because the camera will keep that drunk from running the light, or $$$ promotes the use of technology like this. If you answer that you feel safer because a RLC is used, then you need to get your head out of the sand.