Red-light cameras have been under heavy criticism since implemented in the city of Los Angeles. Monday, a city panel voted to phase out the system. 32 cameras will be shut down on a date to be announced.
Everybody loves the safety they promise until they are caught by what they thought was an innocent rolling stop. California courts have ruled red-light cameras constitutional although 8 states prohibit them. Despite the cameras best efforts to photograph both vehicle identification and the driver — the owner of the vehicle alone is responsible. Much like a parking ticket, such a ticket is considered an infraction, not a criminal offense. What does that mean for car owners? Simple. Many just disregard the ticket.
Councilman Paul Koretz, an advocate pressing for abolishing the program, says the city will send out the tickets:
They’ll send you a note saying you owe more money because you didn’t pay the first time. But they’ll never actually make you pay, and they won’t put it on your credit.
What that translates to is no points on your record reported to your insurance, and no criminal warrant issued. The city reports that there are over 65,000 thousand unpaid tickets. Only 54% of motorists actually pay the fine.
The city continues to spend money on the program. Each intersection costs the city $8,000 a month to run. What’s more, the program is run by Affiliated Traffic Systems (ATS), a company located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The same Arizona that councilmen in Los Angeles have vowed to boycott over their illegal immigration policy; a threat so significant that the company actually considered relocating to another state.
Since the program was implemented, there have been no fatal accidents at any of the 32 intersections in question. And then there is the final dispute, who will pay for taking down the cameras? ATS will likely argue the city, however, Councilman Koretz argues the contract pins it on ATS. Regardless, the only party that seems to be scot free is the driver.
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