Smile: you’re on a red light camera. On April 4, after a month long trial-run of four red light cameras placed in high volume intersections, Daytona Beach finally pressed “record.”
The city expects the cameras to deter red light runners and as a result lower traffic accidents and injuries. However, these benefits could be voided if members of the Florida Legislature continue exhausting their resources on non-issues.
House Bill 4087 exited the Appropriations Committee on a 13-9 vote and will now be subject to debate and a vote. The bill would strip government entities of the right to use red light cameras as a way to enforce the law.
“This is a life and death issue,” Democrat Joe Gibbons said during debate, “So I’m going to be voting against this bill.” Gibbons understands how counter-productive the bill could be and the facts support his position.
A study released in February by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examined the effect red light cameras had in 14 cities between 1996 and 2004. The results showed a clear link between lower fatality rates and the use of the cameras.
Another test of the cameras on 13 intersections in Virginia Beach, VA, found a 24 percent drop in crashes between 2008 and 2010. The numbers are irrefutable, red light cameras save lives.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 100,000 people were injured in 2009 during red light crashes, a number that is far too high.
Opponents of the cameras claim they violate a right to privacy, but you relinquish that right the moment you violate the law. Even if the use of these devices is unconstitutional, the courts make that decision, not the Florida Legislature.
HB4087 needs to fail and red light cameras need to be added to every intersection in the country. Local and state governments will profit from citations, but more importantly – the number of accidents, injuries and deaths will fall.
Thank you for taking a stand Daytona Beach. You might not have friends in the Florida Legislature, but the In Motion staff appreciates the law being enforced.
If others still decide to break the law, we can get them to smile for the camera.