Red Light Camera News Red light cameras not the safest answer
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/fl-red-light-camera-forum-20110521,0,3770132.story
Red light cameras not the safest answer
By Joe Panella
May 21, 2011
Recently, in a Sun Sentinel column, Mayor Joy Cooper of Hallandale asked readers to make their voices heard on the subject of red-light cameras.
It seems there are three reasons why a local government might choose to install red light cameras:
Public Safety: While there is much debate about whether red-light cameras reduce accidents or injuries, there is an alternative that has been proven to be a free, almost 100 percent effective way to eliminate accidents and injuries due to red-light running. That is to make the lights red in all four directions before switching one direction to green. If safety is the goal, then this would be a much more effective method of eliminating accidents and saving lives.
Law Enforcement: This is law enforcement at its strangest for moving violations. The vehicle is ticketed, not the driver. The presumption is guilt. The burden of proof is on the defendant. The accuser is not required to face the offender. Even weirder, the law that is being enforced was invented in order to allow red-light cameras and was not enacted until the problem of how to split the revenue was resolved. If one should choose a law to enforce on behalf of public safety, I would suggest using our precious resources to enforce the seat belt laws — a time-tested, sure-fire way to save lives.
Money: As always, money is an important issue. One would have to wonder if a municipality would be willing to install and manage red-light cameras as a public safety service if there was no money at stake. A good test would be to see if a city would be willing to donate all of its camera proceeds to the National Safety Council as a means of promoting public safety and better driving habits. My unscientific straw poll of city officials would indicate the answer is no.
I have a 17-year-old driver in my household. I say a prayer every time she leaves with car keys in her hand, and I thank God every time she returns home safely. If red-light cameras would make her the tiniest bit safer, I would not be writing this.
I would be very happy to stop into any South Florida council or commission meeting to answer any questions they may have on this subject.
Joe Panella is a resident of Boca Raton.
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