Red light cameras have been popping up at intersections across the country over the last several years, and most drivers at least notice them, even if they have not been photographed running a red light. Boyton Beach, Florida, has 11 intersection cameras, according to the SunSentinel.com. One of the criticisms of these cameras is that they are a “cash grab” for local governments to issue more citations to drivers and collect fines.
The cameras in Boyton beach are supplied and serviced by American Traffic Solutions, a private company based in Arizona. There is a $4,750 flat monthly fee for each camera, and the city pays a total of $52,250 every month. The city has generated $2.06 million in citation fees since the program began in June 2011.
According to the local police department, the collision numbers at four intersections where lights were installed reduced by 58 percent over a 5-month period. Critics believe that the main reason for the cameras is simply to generate revenue.
“It’s just a way to collect revenue and disguise it as a safety program,” said Ted Hollander, an attorney at The Ticket Clinic law firm. “There’s something fundamentally wrong about that. It sounds like extortion to me.”
The decrease in collisions is statistically significant and cannot be ignored. So if a police officer catches a driver running a light and issues a citation it is ok, but if is it really much different if it is a camera? It’s not as if drivers who are not breaking the law are cited. If you do not run the light you should have nothing to worry about, and it is making the streets safer is the bottom line.
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Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Florida personal injury attorneys.
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