The number one excuse that people give when running a red light is that they are “in a hurry”. However, is being in a hurry worth your life or that of another? The IIHS estimates that there are over 260,000 accidents annually due to folks running a red light. Accidents that occur as a result if these are generally t-bone collisions which are super dangerous because a car is most vulnerable on the side. Not only that but people who are trying to run a light usually accelerate and are going top speeds; they are definitely not slowing down anytime soon. So when there is an impact, the force is very substantial. In many cases enough to cause serious and even fatal injuries.

In order to deal with this problem, many states have installed red light cameras. Some of these states include California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Washington and Massachusetts. They work by capturing an image of the offender and his or her license plate. The images are reviewed by a person and a ticket is consequently sent out to the violator.
Most people don’t want to pay an expensive fine so they are more likely to slow down when they know that they could possibly face one. You might wonder why it isn’t enough for cops to issue tickets to offenders? Well, there just aren’t enough cops around to monitor every single intersection. Cameras are more effective in this particular area.

So what can you do to protect yourself? Make it a habit to look right and left when the light turns green. It isn\’t always safe to go even if your light is green. Make sure that there isn\’t someone on the other side of the road making a dash for it at the very last moment.

Cameras are a sensitive topic because the fines are substantial and some folks claim that the cities are making money this way. Making money is a possible byproduct but cities claim that money is not the objective. Their position is that these cameras safe lives and reduce serious accidents. One would expect that offenses would go down after a period of time because people want to avoid fines.

However, there have been a few cases where the number of accidents have actually went up since the cameras were installed. This happens when the driver brakes all of a sudden and then gets rear ended. These accidents are usually nowhere as serious as the side impact ones caused by someone running a red light.

Different states have different policies when it comes to these cameras. Some have actually banned red light cameras including the city of New York. Los Angeles isn\’t really clear on its position either; sure the city does currently have cameras in place. The only problem is that there isn\’t anyone at the scene of the offense who would be able to testify.
Remember that running a red light is a serious offense. Being in a hurry is never a good excuse for running a red light. Why risk your life or someone else’s?

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Category: Automotive
Keywords: red light cameras, do red light camers work, running a red light