This was too funny to pass up -
Red-light cameras also snaring police
More than 520 tickets have been issued to public agencies since operation began
By MATT STILES
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Houston police commanders say the city’s red-light camera enforcement program should increase safety at intersections by prompting “behavior modifications” in motorists.
Not all of their own employees are getting the message, however.
More than 100 Houston police vehicles moving through intersections without emergency lights were cited in the first year of the cameras’ operation, according to ticket data.
“We’re just like regular citizens. We’re only human,” said Martha Montalvo, an executive assistant chief with the Houston Police Department who oversees the program.
“We’re hoping for some behavior modifications from all angles, not only from our citizens but also from our city employees.”
The article goes on and says they raked in $40,000 from 520 citations from local government vehicles. $40,000 divided by 520 is about $77 times the 100,000 citations issued to all motorists during the year.
“We’re hoping for some behavior modifications…” Please, do they think we’re stupid? They went from 30 cameras in 2006 to 50 between March and August, with plans for more.
There are studies out that Red Light Cameras cause more accidents then they prevent.
The camera at Wisconsin Avenue and Brandywine Street NW has produced nearly 30,000 tickets, but its crash totals have hovered around two a year.
Advocates for the cameras point to research such as a recent national study by the Federal Highway Administration that showed the number of broadside crashes dipped 25 percent at sites with cameras. The study found that rear-end crashes rose 15 percent at camera locations.
This entire article is worth a read. People are slamming on their brakes to avoid a red light ticket and getting rear-ended. Great idea!
Lon Anderson, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said the data reinforce the motor club’s view that the red-light effort is targeted more at generating revenue than at reducing crashes. “They are making a heck of a lot of money, and they are picking the motorists’ pockets on the pretense of safety,” he said.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Exactly like split speed limits, it’s not about safety, it’s about revenue.
Hello Wayne, and Life on the road:
Thanks for including my boss, Lon Anderson’s, viewpoint on red light cameras in your post.
I think it’s only fair to point out that you’ve taken his quote, however, out of context.
His quote is specifically directed at Washington DC’s red light camera system. Sort of unfair to Lon, AAA and not to mention to Houston, to represent his quote as being a catch-all for red light cameras in general.
Each situation is different. Safety vs. revenue, that’s the consideration. Thanks for the forum.
Thanks.
David Weinstein
AAA Mid-Atlantic
David, I didn’t think it was that much out of context, I’ve heard the same argument before. DC was the quickest one I found in writing. The Houston article came out and said how much money they raised. If it was only about safety, then why mention the revenue?
Besides, even if the principle reason for the cameras was safety, they’ve become addicted to the money and that’s not going to change no matter what city you go to.