A bill in the Connecticut Legislature looks to allow certain Connecticut municipalities (those with more than 48,000 people) to install red light cameras at intersections. The cameras would watch for cars running red lights. The drivers of those cars would then be ticketed approximately $50.
The bill has started a public debate that weighs safety with civil rights.
Some cities favor the bill because it would help them enforce traffic laws and bring in revenue. Safety advocates say the bill would promote safe driving and help reduce Connecticut auto crashes.
Others believe that the bill is a “revenue-generating initiative” that infringes on the public’s civil rights. The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Connecticut said that red light cameras violate the 14th Amendment because they don’t give defendants notice that they violated the law or offer them adequate defense.
There is even an argument that the cameras will increase rear-end car accidents at intersections because they force people to come to an abrupt stop.
Accidents at intersections
According to a study by the NHTSA, approximately 40 percent of all crashes are intersection-related accidents. There were 2.3 million intersection-related accidents in 2008 alone. Most (96 percent) of these accidents were caused by negligent drivers, many of whom simply failed to pay attention.
Rear-end collisions are common at intersections, but even more common are accidents involving drivers turning left. Often, accidents are caused when a driver turns left at a yellow light while a car going the other direction speeds through the light.
In 2008, drivers running red lights caused 762 deaths and at least 165,000 injuries. Furthermore, at least half of the individuals who were killed in red-light running accidents were innocent drivers or walkers hit by the driver running the red light.
According to a 2004 study by the NHTSA, 97 percent of U.S. drivers see red light running as a major safety threat. We will have to wait to see if the Legislature passes Connecticut’s red light camera bill and, if it does, whether it reduces the number of red-light accidents.
Source: Litchfield County Times, “Connecticut Debate Over Cameras to Catch Those Who Run Red Lights Rages On,” Jordan Fenster, Mar. 12, 2012.