Cameras may nab red light runners

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Greenville Police Chief Willie Johnson acknowledges as much, but he says his force is stretched too thin to monitor the intersection all the time.

The answer, Johnson and some state lawmakers believe, is a camera system, one that would snap the photos of violators and whose mere presence would deter others from hitting the accelerator pedal when the light turns yellow.

A bill pending in the Legislature would allow cities to install such systems, already in use in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

The fines wouldn't go on your driving record or count against your insurance. Supporters say the cameras cut accidents and violations in cities that use them.

Last year, state safety officials said, 57 people were killed and 4,264 people injured in accidents where the primary factor was disregarding stop signs or lights.

"I like the idea of having cameras," said Jeremy Revis, 26, of Taylors. "It's like people don't pay attention to anything. I had a lot of close calls where I could've used a camera, that would've helped."

But Linda Campbell, 42, of Tigerville opposes cameras, saying, "There are just too many loopholes.

"It depends on when do you actually go through the red light. You can't contemplate what the guy in front of you is going to do."

State Sen. Darrell Jackson, a Columbia Democrat, said, "If it makes the roads safer, then I am for it.

"As long as the cameras aren't used for anything else, that would be an invasion of privacy."

Johnson said the problem at stoplights has been growing for years.

"People are in a rush," he said. "At certain intersections in this city, when the traffic light turns red, two to three vehicles continue through. We have seen an increase in traffic-related injuries around intersections that are governed by red lights and stop signs.

"And we don't have enough officers to put at every stoplight and to keep people safe. We see red light cameras as a tool that will help us do that."

Nationwide, 40 percent of accidents occur in intersections, safety officials say, with red light violations blamed for 229,000 wrecks in 2002, killing 950 people and injuring 200,000.

In Greenville, according to police, 1,462 wrecks last year occurred in intersections, about a third of all the city's accidents.

"Police are understaffed. They don't have the manpower to watch the intersections for red light violations," said Jay Specter, Eastern area director for Transol USA, which operates and sells red light camera systems. "Photo enforcement can help."

State Sen. Scott Richardson, a Hilton Head Republican, sponsored the bill.

"If you look at the statistics, it's purely safety," he said. "If you look across the country where they use these things, red light running goes down 70 percent, deaths go down 60 percent. I don't see what's wrong with it."

Officials said only the most dangerous intersections would get cameras because of the cost. Vendors say most cities have them install the equipment, monitor the system and pay them a share of the fines.

Some systems use video, others digital cameras. Some use lasers, others bury copper wire to trigger the cameras, which only snap or film when the system predicts a violation.

Specter said his company's cameras snap 180 frames of each violation, more than enough to prove the vehicle was in the intersection and identify the license plate.

Bill Danzell, CEO of Nestor Inc., a Rhode Island-based vendor of video camera systems, said his company's system only tickets "a very grievous offense."

Police are sent the photos to review, he said. Violators also can check out the photos online and then decide if they want to fight it.

His company's system also can hold traffic on one side of an intersection if it detects a violation, which can save lives.

"Generally speaking, you only have to pay one of those tickets before you start paying attention to stopping," he said.

Under the legislation, tickets would be mailed to the owner of the vehicle. Fines would be capped at $100. If someone other than the driver were at fault, it would be up to the owner to submit a sworn statement and provide information about the real driver.

Drivers could contest the tickets in municipal court. Those who ignore the tickets could have their car's registration suspended.

Georgia and North Carolina cities use such systems now. According to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, a coalition of safety groups, North Carolina's cameras have proven their worth.

In Raleigh, right-angle crashes were cut 42 percent, with rear-end crahes cut 25 percent at crossings with cameras, the organization said.

"I think all of the cities and the police departments that use red light cameras in their jurisdictions would say it's been a positive experience," said Tom Crosby, president of the Carolina Motor Club Foundation for Traffic Safety. "I think they are effective in affecting driver behavior."

That's because many no longer risk yellow lights once they spot signs declaring the intersection watched by cameras, officials say.

Crosby said, some people have complained of rear-end accidents caused by drivers stopping suddenly.

Johnson said Greenville police would like cameras at the intersections with the most accidents.