In the June 18 edition, Howard County Police Chief William McMahon states that red light cameras are "part of an ... overall effort to reduce crashes" and Russ Rader from the National Institute for Highway Safety states that "When people know they're going to get a ticket ... they don't run red lights."

So if the purpose of the cameras is to reduce red light running, and therefore crashes, they will be more effective if drivers know that an intersection is monitored. It only makes sense then to post signs before every monitored intersection to notify drivers of a camera.

If Mr. Rader is correct, there will be a drastic reduction in red light running. There will be fewer crashes, which will make Chief McMahon happy, and there will be fewer tickets, which will reduce complaints about the cameras being a source of revenue. I suspect that the same strategy will work when speed cameras arrive. How about it Howard County?

John Dusch

Scaggsville

user comments (1)

user asdfgh says...

I believe many, if not all, of the intersections with red light cameras have signs posted notifying motorists of them. Not that it takes a genius to see the tall poles with cameras on them. There has been a drastic reduction in red light running. From Howard County's website: "Automated enforcement, as one part of a comprehensive effort, has resulted in a 21% to 44% decline in motor vehicle accidents, and a 70% reduction in red light violations at monitored locations."

Posted 8:14 PM, 06.28.09 | Permalink