Red Light Cameras, Should They Stay or Should They Go.

In most major cities in the last decade traffic cameras have become a normal site. A dizzying array of lights and cameras in the middle of an intersection designed to capture illegal maneuvers. Now these cameras are not there to tell you that the wheel hubs bearing or cv axles on your car need to be changed, no they are there to make money. Well that and encourage people not to run the lights. In a recent poll of US cities that use red light cameras, it was determined that most people agree with having them.

There is nothing more infuriating then waiting at a light for a few minutes and after yours turns green some moron runs through the light, almost hits you and then drives off like they did nothing wrong. The whole time you are thinking to yourself “where is a cop when you need one” well with the cameras, there is a cop at every intersection. We see the flash and we think yes….got em. Then the ticket shows up in your mailbox! What?! But it is because the automated system identified your plate instead of theirs. So maybe the system isn’t perfect but it works most of the time.

Any system has ups and downs but the number of drivers who would run lights in major intersections has been cut down for sure. It sure is not worth the 3 min of your time to run a light when the fine could be as much as $500 and a few points on your record. In the end traffic cameras are a brilliant way to control traffic without having to post 10 officers at the intersection. Personally I can think of a few intersections that could use them and I bet you can too. In Asheville NC where Patton Ave meets Liecester highway at least 15 people run the light ever time it changes. There are hundreds of accidents are caused every year because of that. There are thousands of intersections are just like that in the US that need something to help with red light runners.