Truck Accident News

Red Light Cameras Catch Violators

Intersection safety is a serious problem in the United States, and it is one of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) top priorities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that about 6.4 million crashes occurred on the Nation's roadways in 2000. Approximately 40 percent of all crashes are intersection-related. Redlight- running (RLR) causes more than 180,000 crashes every year, resulting in approximately 1,000 deaths and 90,000 injuries a year. The number of fatal motor vehicle crashes at traffic signals is rising faster than any other type of fatal crash nationwide.

RLR occurs when a driver enters an intersection after the traffic signal has turned red. The traditional way of enforcing this violation is to station a patrol vehicle near an intersection. This method is dangerous for the officer, expensive to localities, and drains valuable police resources.

Red light cameras detect a motor vehicle that passes over sensors in the pavement after a traffic signal has turned red. The sensors are connected to computers in high-speed cameras, which take two photographs of the violation. The first photo is taken of the front of the vehicle when it enters the intersection, and the second is taken when the vehicle is in the intersection.

Law enforcement officials review the photograph, and in many localities, a citation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. The owner can challenge the citation if he or she was not the driver at the time of the violation.

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	Did You Know?
	A Request for Discovery is an information request you would make to the prosecutor Ask usually the District Attorney, for relevant information related to your case. If you were cited for speeding, you may want information on the kind of speed measurement device the officer used to clock your vehicle, or the training records for the officer that measured your speed. A simple written request, sent via registered mail to the District Attorney's office, is usually sufficient to exercise this inquiry.