The occasional red-light runner could be safe from
surveillance for a little longer.
Despite some Rock Hill residents' and the police chief's interest in
using cameras to catch motorists running red lights, the issue is dead
in the Statehouse for now.
A state Senate bill to allow cities to put up the traffic cameras
died in a transportation subcommittee last week.
In Rock Hill, police said, the worst intersections for traffic light
accidents are along Cherry Road and near York Technical College on South
Anderson Road.
Police Chief John Gregory would like to see cameras at some of Rock
Hill's intersections. Cameras lowered the number of traffic light
offenses in High Point, N.C., when Gregory was an assistant chief there,
he said.
"They save lives and prevent wrecks," said Lt. Jerry Waldrop of the
Rock Hill Police Department.
Rock Hill City Manager Carey Smith said even if legislators had OK'd
the cameras, city officials would still need to study how they would
affect public safety.
Red-light running was a factor in 30,674 crashes and 132 fatalities
in the state between 1999 and 2003, according to S.C. Department of
Transportation statistics. Of the crashes, 7.5 percent were caused by
motorists running red lights.
Here's how the cameras would work:
Motorists photographed running red lights at certain intersections
would receive tickets in the mail, after photos are reviewed by
authorities. Tickets would not cost more than $100.
Cameras arrived in the late 1990s and have been popping up all over
the country.
In Charlotte, the cameras reduced accidents that happen at an angle
by 37 percent. All crash types were reduced by 19 percent, according to
the company Safe Light's crash analysis in 2001. Safe Light was hired by
Charlotte to run the cameras.
But critics say cameras are placed at high traffic areas, not at the
dangerous intersections, because more tickets can be given in
high-traffic areas.
And even High Point, where Gregory once worked, turned off cameras at
10 intersections after a judge ruled that 90 percent of fine money from
the system must be handed over to schools, the Associated Press
reported.
Motorists aren't always to blame when they run a red light, said Eric
Skrum, communications director for the National Motorists Association.
"If you find the engineering flaw and fix it, the problem
disappears," Skrum said.
For example, sunlight beaming off traffic signals could inhibit
motorists' seeing the red light, he said.
Some Rock Hill residents agree with Skrum, but others say the cameras
would make people think twice about running a red light.
Winthrop University student Patrick Allen said the cameras would be
good.
"It would keep people safe," said Allen, who said he worries cameras
would lead to officials putting up cameras to catch speeders.
But Allen Bratton, 17, said his red Pontiac Firebird is enough of a
ticket magnet from police officers.
The cameras would make him more paranoid than if he sees a police
car.
"Sometimes, I can't see the light if it's red ... or if someone's on
my bumper," he said.
Wendy Bigham • 329-4068
wbigham@heraldonline.com
