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Cons About Traffic Light Cameras

In some cities, the eye in the sky is watching and waiting for you to make a mistake as you drive. Traffic light cameras have some people seeing visions of Big Brother gaining too tight of a grip on society. As cities across America and other countries get tougher on drivers who run through red lights by using traffic light cameras, there are some seemingly valid reasons for and against them. While advocates say the cameras help enforce traffic laws and reduce crashes, others have found arguments against them to be equally valid.

  1. Driver Verification

    • The traffic light camera works by snapping a picture or shooting video of the vehicle as it passes through a red light or speeds through an intersection. The camera is useful in identifying the owner of the car because it picks up the tag number. But when the owner isn't the driver, this can be a hassle for the person who owns the car. A car owner may receive a ticket in the mail for a violation he did not commit because someone else was driving his car at the time. This complicates the ticketing process when the camera cannot identify the driver.

    Distractions

    • As you drive toward an intersection, you can't help but wonder if the camera is grabbing a shot of your car. As you watch it, not even thinking about it, you may miss something important on the road in front of you. Perhaps a pedestrian is crossing in front of you or another car has run the light. The next thing you know you are in an accident. According to the Video Surveillance Guide website, cameras at traffic lights can be a serious distraction to the driver and may cause other problems on the road just by being there.

    Questionable Results

    • While there have been reports saying the traffic light cameras work to reduce accidents and enforce laws, the studies often originate from inside the industry or other places that may be biased. According to the Video Surveillance website, many people feel the results of so-called studies are skewed because of pressures to sell the idea by government agencies and camera manufacturing companies.

    Prevents One Accident, Causes Another

    • Studies show that the traffic light cameras can reduce the crashes that occur in the intersections where they are located. In fact, a report from CNY Central's website suggests that 40 percent less people in a Syracuse study ran red lights at intersections with cameras installed and "t-boning" accidents were reduced by 32 percent. But the report also shows that rear-end crashes rose by 30 percent. This suggests that the cameras reduced one type of crash at the expense of causing others.

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