Red Light Cameras Will Save Tennessee Lives
When people at holiday parties find out that I am a Nashville automobile accident attorney I’m usually bombarded with questions. This year’s topic seemed to be Red Light Cameras (RLCs). Although many people understand the purpose of the cameras is to save lives and prevent property damages, there are still those who think that it’s simply big brother government reaching into the taxpayers pockets. To these people I say, “You’re Wrong, Red Light Cameras save lives.”
Each year crashes involving red light running claim the lives of more than 800 people and injure another 200,000 people. More than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians, so there should be no debate about the fact that red light runners are dangerous drivers who put other road users at risk. A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study in Oxnard, California, showed that red light running violations dropped a total of 42 percent after well publicized photo enforcement was introduced. Another study in Fairfax, Virginia, showed that violations declined about 40 percent after one year of photo enforcement. A key to all effective traffic law enforcement is publicity; without it there is no deterrent effect, and the purpose of red light cameras is deterrence.
Photo enforcement has such a strong deterrent effect precisely because it is not like so-called “speed traps.” The old image of a speed trap was that of “secret” enforcement at a location where almost every driver speeds. Officers could pick and choose whomever they wished to cite, even drivers who barely exceeded the limit.
The objective of photo enforcement is to deter violations, not to surreptitiously catch violators. The more public the enforcement is, the better. Photo-enforcement cameras are in plain view, not hidden. There typically are signs and publicity campaigns warning drivers that photo enforcement is in use. And unlike speed traps, photo enforcement is fair. The cameras are programmed not to photograph vehicles turning right on red or caught in the intersection when the light changes. Only violators who meet objective criteria specifically designed to omit minor, unintended infractions are photographed. There is no potential for impermissible profiling or discriminatory enforcement where photo enforcement is in use.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee intersection accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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