![]() Another major complaint about the red-light cameras was that the cameras are overseen by private companies who get to keep a portion of the revenues from the tickets they generate. Still others, like the Haltom City Police Department, have announced they have already terminated their contracts with vendors that provide the cameras and process the tickets. Some police Departments have announced they have already stopped processing tickets, while several others have already deactivated their traffic cameras. Texas Cities Already Taking ActionĪlthough the law doesn’t officially take effect until September, local police departments throughout Texas are already taking steps to prepare for the inevitable. For example, the city of Plano Police Department has reported that, before the red-light cameras were installed in 2006, there were around 17 crashes per day on city streets, but that number dropped by about one-third since the cameras were installed at the city’s most problematic intersections, meaning those with the highest number of red light runners and accidents. Many municipalities have reported an overall decrease in accidents since the advent of red-light cameras, especially those involving side collisions. That said, while there have been many frustrations with the red-light traffic cameras, especially the surprise when a recipient gets a bill for $75 without a hearing. However, those who support the use of red-light cameras tend to cite data from a recent study from the Federal Highway Administration, showing that, while rear-end collisions increased by 15 percent for red-light running crashes, angle crashes, like t-bone side crashes, decreased by about 25 percent. According to camera opponents, the rear-end collisions happen because of sudden braking because of the flash and because enforcement of the cameras is anything but transparent. Some critics of the cameras point out that there has been an increase in rear-end collisions in some places since the cameras were installed. Others have complained that the cameras are set off if a vehicle is mere inches over the line, even if it stops at the very last second. ![]() Too often, according to critics, the cameras capture an image of a vehicle’s license plate that has merely edged into the intersection while waiting to make a left turn and being stuck there when the light turns red. The camera ban is welcomed by many drivers, who believe the cameras work too quickly. This is a decision that is not without controversy. ![]() 1, but it will also allow communities more time to complete their contracts with the private companies who operate the cameras, if needed, which means they will also get some extra time to share revenue from the tickets that are written.Īccording to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Texas joins seven other states in banning the cameras, including Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia, although at least 20 additional states have no red light traffic cameras within their borders. The bill will largely take effect on Sept. Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that will ban the use of red light cameras anywhere in the state.
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