Red-Light Running

Background

Clogged urban streets are seeing an epidemic of red-light running. Traffic officials say that red-light violators in San Francisco, CA alone cause about 800 reported collisions and 1,300 injuries a year (1). The problem is worst in areas with heavy congestion during peak traffic periods. Red-light running poses a serious hazard to other motorists, as well as to pedestrians who may be caught in crosswalks or hit on streets by ricocheting vehicles.

Policies

1. Use automatic camera enforcement at problem intersections.
   
   Cities in California have begun pilot projects to install automatic cameras at intersections where the frequency of red-light running has been severe. After the light turns red, the camera takes a picture of the intersection, recording an image of the license plate and the driver of any car entering the intersection illegally. Motorists are then mailed traffic tickets. To increase the program's effectiveness while holding the line on costs, officials have suggested mounting empty boxes at some intersections (saving the cost of the expensive cameras) and placing signs at city entry points to warn motorists about the automatic enforcement. One possible setback to this type of enforcement is that photographs of moving vehicles are not always clear enough to accurately identify drivers and license plate numbers.
   
   California cities included in the pilot project are San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Oxnard, Beverly Hills, El Cajon and Poway. The State of California recently (June 1, 1998) passed legislation (SB 1136) authorizing the camera program to continue indefinitely.
   
   
2. Increase traditional enforcement efforts against red-light running, including fine increases.
   
   California raised the fine for running red lights from $103 to $271 beginning on January 1, 1998. Half of the fine increase ($81) is given to local governments to pay for increased enforcement efforts. But even without added revenues, communities can urge their local law enforcement agencies to target problem intersections and conduct public awareness campaigns about the dangers of running red lights.
   
   

Effectiveness Data

California's increased fines have not been in place long enough to determine their impact on motorists' behavior. However, the red-light camera project has proven highly effective, according to various sources. The San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic, reporting that 7,461 citations were issued during the pilot project, says the number of red-light runners at test intersections were cut nearly in half and collisions were reduced by 10 percent (2). Similar results were reported for Oxnard, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (3).

Contacts

Richard Retting
Senior Transportation Engineer
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Phone: 703-247-1582
E-mail: rretting@iihs.org
Web site: http://www.highwaysafety.org

Bridget Bjorna Smith, P.E.
Associate Transportation Engineer
San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic
Phone: 415-554-2346
E-mail: bridget_smith@ci.sf.ca.us
Web site: http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/dpt/

References

1. Red-light Cameras Lose Assembly Vote. San Francisco Examiner. April 24, 1998.
   
   
2. San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic. Press release, April 7, 1998.
   
   
3. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Report.
   

Acknowledgements

Kathleen Beasley, Editor

Dale Danley, M.P.H., Writer