The Beginning of the End for Red-Light Cameras?

Red-light camera programs are losing support from several relevant areas. With courts, legislatures, and the always important general public all dealing blows to photo-enforcement programs around the country, local municipalities are finding it increasingly difficult to defend their use of the machines. The cumulative effect of numerous defeats in court, as well as at the ballot box, combined with the public’s general disdain for the devices (and for the elected officials who support them) may signal trouble for the private companies that operate the automated-ticketing programs. (Not to mention the cities who rely on the revenue that they generate through citations.)
A recent Appellate Court ruling in Orange County essentially dismissed evidence presented from red-light cameras as inadmissible due to a lack of credibility – labeling the evidence as hearsay, rather than direct. (Basically, the court cast doubt on the ability of city officials to prove that their cameras are accurate.) The ruling stated: “The person who entered that relevant information into the camera-computer system did not testify. The person who entered that information was not subject to being cross-examined on the underlying source of that information. The person or persons who maintain the system did not testify. No one with personal knowledge testified about how often the system is maintained. No one with personal knowledge testified about how often the date and time are verified or corrected. The custodian of records for the company that contracts with the city to maintain, monitor, store, and disperse these photographs did not testify. The person with direct knowledge of the workings of the camera-computer system did not testify.” In short, the judges wanted to know why they should assume that the cameras are credible witnesses.
And while the lure of an additional revenue stream is enticing to cash-strapped governments, the public’s ability to punish those officials who support the cameras is equally powerful. That risk vs. reward struggle recently became evident in Illinois, where Cook County officials gave local villages the right to “opt out” of a plan to install red-light cameras in their area. (And opt-out, they did.) While that “opt out” measure was touted as nothing more than granting those villages “the right to choose,” others recognized it as an election-year ploy. “Certain people who have suburban constituents are getting some serious heat from their mayors. It’s about voting to keep yourself in that seat and getting re-elected,” claimed one County Commissioner. In short, the mayors were scared to anger voters during an election year.
Finally, there’s the issue of credibility. This, too, seems to be swaying against the cameras. While governments always seem to find data that shows how red-light cameras reduce accidents, most independent studies do not. The latest example comes from a study by the University of Illinois at Chicago, which looked at the city’s red-light camera program (the largest in the country) and car-accident data during the duration of the program. I’ll spare you the numbers, but the report concluded that “the benefits claimed by the city are hyperbole and that there is no evidence that the red-light cameras have had a significant safety benefit.” Another study noted by the Washington Times pointed out that during a six-year period in the beginning of the decade, when Arlington, VA, used red-light cameras, “total crashes increased 65%” in the area. In short, the cameras didn’t do what they were supposed to – decrease accidents and improve public safety.
The topic of red-light cameras has become so controversial that the U.S. Congress is scheduled to review the matter on Wednesday. The House Highways and Transit subcommittee is going to try to determine if ‘automated traffic enforcement’ methods are “cost-efficient and appropriate.” The subject has simply become too big for Congress to ignore and that could mean trouble for the industry as a whole. In short, stay tuned.