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Close
up of the camera box at 1st and E

Red Light Cameras are automated traffic safety devices
that record video and/or take pictures when a vehicle has entered an intersection
on a red light. The photos and video are then reviewed by a police officer and a citation is sent in
the mail to the driver.

The penalty is $370 and a point on one's driving record. The monetary
fine has been raised numerous times by the state since Red-Light Cameras became
legal in California.

In order to be cited, one must cross the intersection's limit line
while the signal is red. California law requires a clear picture of the driver
and license plate in order to be fined. This photo must also match the picture
on the driver's license of the vehicle's registered owner. Due to these facts,
not every violation results in a citation. California's legislation requires a
clear photo of the driver in order to issue a fine and add a point to your
driving record as a moving violation. Red-light running is a very serious
traffic violation because T-bone crashes are among the most dangerous types of
crashes, occurring on the side of a vehicle with little protection for
passengers during a crash.

Cameras
in Davis

Success
of Red Light Camera Programs

Controversy

Avoiding
Fines

Conclusion

Further
Reading

Brief
Aside

Cameras in Davis

Around or before December 12th, 2005, the City of Davis began monitoring red
light violations using video cameras at the following intersections:

New
warning sign at 1st and E Streets

Eastbound Russell Blvd at Sycamore
Ln. (Central Davis)

Westbound First St. at E St. — The Worst
intersection in Davis

Northbound Pole Line Rd. at Fifth St. (East Davis)

Eastbound Chiles Rd. at Mace
Blvd. (South Davis)

There were over 50 warnings sent out in just the first two weeks of
the grace period, all caught by only two (of the four that will be active)
cameras. The city has entered a contract with Nestor Traffic Systems in which the city will pay no more than a
flat fee or what the cameras actually collect, whichever is less.

The cameras on Russell and First went live around Dec. 13, and 30 days
after will be a grace period, in which violators will only receive a photo in
the mail and will not be fined for the violation. The cameras on Chiles and Pole
Line went live in mid-January 2006.

Today's traffic cameras can detect vehicle speeds, but their use by
Davis Public
Works remains a mystery. Loop detectors buried in the ground can also be
used to measure the speed of red-light runners. The traffic cameras installed in
Davis are 100% directional, which means if you are going any other direction
then the camera does not track you.

Bicyclists can not be cited using Red Light Cameras because there is
no legislation permitting cities to do so as well as the fact that cameras can
not easily see the registration stickers on a bike.

Apparently, violation video footage will be available on the Internet
for review. The URL for the footage is not yet known.

Success of Red Light Camera Programs

Camera
set-up in front of the Natsoulas Gallery at 1st and
E

Many municipalities have had different experiences with red light
cameras. Cities such as Washington DC saw an increase in accidents. This was
attributed to a short yellow light that creates a "dilemma zone," making it
difficult for a vehicle to clear an intersection safely. If a motorist is
traveling inside this dilemma zone while approaching the intersection, he must
either proceed through the intersection on a red light or brake very suddenly,
possibly entering the intersection on the red. Rear-end collisions may also rise
as more vehicles screech to a halt to avoid getting a violation. Washington DC
also issued false citations, causing doubt in citizens' minds whether the
cameras were reliable.

The city of Fresno had to shelve its program because their cameras
were not taking clear photos of the drivers. The city also wasn't making enough
money on the program to justify the continuation of the program.

On the other hand, cities such as San Francisco have had a positive
experience with red-light cameras. They report that accidents are down and that
there is a positive "spillover effect" to neighboring intersections where the
cameras were installed. They have also withstood many legal challenges in court.

Recently, many cities in California have shut down their red light
cameras. The main reason was that the cameras were not cost effective. Cities
were losing money to the state, the company that runs the cameras, people not
paying the fines, and an increased number of drivers fighting their tickets in
court. Cities getting rid of their red light cameras include Loma Linda CA, and
Whittier CA. A study in San Diego showed that the city is currently losing money
on the cameras as only 23% of the tickets generated by the system actually get
paid. The city has no intention on shutting down the system because accidents
declined by 32% in the intersections where the cameras were operating.

Controversy

The
flash strobes and a couple cameras on a pole by Holiday Cinema at
1st and E

Red light camera programs around the nation have generated a lot of
controversy. Many feel the cameras are an invasion of privacy and are another
means for "Big Brother" to spy on citizens and control their lives. Red light
cameras represent yet another small step towards complete control of our daily
lives by the government. What could be next? Automated speed enforcement?

The cameras are also seen as a revenue generator that is merely
disguised as a traffic safety tool. While some cities may be making a lot of
money, other municipalities report receiving very little revenue from their
programs, breaking even or even losing money. About 40 to 50% of the cost of a
ticket goes to the State of California.

Alternatives to red light cameras include enforcing current traffic
safety laws instead of investing in costly camera programs which may or may not
increase traffic safety and city coffers. Money could also be better spent on
more police officers to roam the city instead of stationary cameras positioned
at a few intersections.

However, others feel that there is no excuse for running a red light
because red-light runners are rarely caught and are putting other motorists'
lives at risk.

It should be noted that experiments have been tried successfully with
no traffic lights as well, and some see traffic cameras as a step in the wrong
direction for certain intersections (see the experiment: http://www.wimp.com/trafficlights/).

In addition, several citizens have concerns over the strobe lights
that flash to take photos when a red-light violation has occurred. The flash may
be too bright, blinding motorists for a split second and causing a major
accident. However, the flash may be just short enough to take a good photo of
the driver and license plate. The flash may surprise motorists, but not blind
them.

Also several motorists have falsely been photographed for making legal
rights against the red.

Avoiding Fines

Some citizens have been so frustrated with red-light cameras that they
have bought special sprays that prevent your license plate from being
photographed. The spray reflects the flash back to the camera so that your
license plate gets whited-out in the photo. The spray is invisible to the naked
eye and was completely legal until December 31, 2007.

A new California law took effect on January 1, 2008. AB 801 makes it
illegal to sell or use a product (spray coating) that obstructs or impairs the
recognition of a license plate by an electronic device operated by police or
toll authority. The fine for using a product to obscure a license plate is
approximately $146, and the fine for selling such a product is approximately
$900.

Conclusion

The success of a red-light camera program hinges on whether the
program is able to perform down to the exact letter of the law so the program is
able to hold up in court. Cities such as Fresno and Washington DC were
unsuccessful because of problems such as wrongful citations, unclear photos and
short yellow lights. These problems caused the citizens to challenge the camera
program in court.

It is also important that municipalities treat red-light cameras as a
traffic safety device rather than a revenue generator. Citizens will be much
more accepting of the cameras if they know the program isn't just a scheme to
squeeze money out of motorists. This can easily be avoided if revenues from the
program are used solely for purposes such as increasing traffic safety or
funding local schools. Even if the cameras do not generate money, they may be
worth it to deter motorists from running red lights.

Further Reading

Article which suggests that red light cameras are both unsafe and
lead to many false citations.

Washington, DC, cameras led to an increase in accidents.

Device in testing that makes it harder to push down the gas pedal
when you're speeding.

Fresno Traffic Court webpage that says that if you
weren't the driver, you have to fill out a form that explains the situation.
However, other cities never issue the citation if your drivers license does
not match the photo taken.

Brief Aside

Did you happen to hear about the guy who was cheating on his wife and
his wife found out by opening the photo taken by the red light camera when it
came in the mail? Apparently the guy was in a convertible and the lady was in
his lap!

Comments:

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following comments may not make sense because they may have been edited and
other comments integrated into the text.

In my opinion red light cameras are absolutely ridiculous. The key
principle of our legal system is that every defendant has the right to face his
or her accuser in court. If a witness points you out as commiting an illegal
act, you are allowed to question, interogate, ect. the witness when you are on
trial. how can you do this with the camera. If the camera had a technical
problem you will be unjustly ticketed. There is no way of knowing if the camera
is right, since the camera cant talk. In my opinion if the camera does not
physically present itself at trial you should automatically win (just like when
the cop doesnt show). Joking aside, what happens when someone else who looks
similar to you is driving your car? I personally have a twin who drives the car
all the time. Also, what happens if the car is registered to two different
people who look similar, who do they send the ticket to?—MattHh

I've been issued a red-light camera ticket in San Francisco for a
violation that occurred when someone else was driving my car. On the form they
have a blank to specify who was driving your car if it wasn't you. In my case,
the driver of my vehicle was happy to take responsibility, but it didn't seem
fair that I should be doing law enforcement's job— i.e., figuring out who
broke the law when they can't. The proposition that I get stuck with a red
light ticket unless I identify the driver of my vehicle sort of flies in the
face of how our legal system is supposed to work. The fact that I can disprove
their accusation — that I was not the person driving my car ("it doesn't even
look like me") should be sufficient. —jr

Depends what red light company they are from. If it's Redflex, then
redlight runners are SCREWED. They use videotape and photos of front and back.
The video also allows them to see if there were extenuating circumstances, such
as the offender being tailgated. – ApolloStumpy

At what point in the red-light running does the camera issue a
citation? Do you have to be completely out of the intersection before it turns
red?

It's a myth that you're safe if your front tires cross the line.
So yeah, if any part of your car is in the intersection when it's red, that
would be bad. From what I see in Apollo's comment above, the Redflex cameras
take photos and video. I bet if they say they caught you, they most
probably did. And they also send the photos to you. You could contest it,
but it's a hard case to make I've heard. Unless you can complain about
tailgating or something (which Apollo mentioned won't work with Reflex).

Actually, my understanding is that if the front bumper of your car
is over the limit line (or first line of the crosswalk) before the light
goes red, it's legal for you to proceed on through. The law states that "A
driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked
limit line." If I have already crossed that line when facing a steady
circular green or yellow signal, then it is a logical impossibility for me
to stop at the line when faced with the red. -MattJurach

I learned when i got my commercial drivers license that is also
depends on your speed. If you are going under the speed limit when you enter
the intersection then you are alright. Yellow means slow down and prepare to
stop. So if have crossed the line when the light turns red and are going
below the speed limit, then you are abiding the law. The problem is that
most people accelerate when they see a yellow light, thus being in violation
when they enter the intersection. Supposedly a lot of redlight cameras also
record your speed. -BrianSolecki

California Vehicle Code section 21452(a) indicates that the
significance of a yellow light is merely to warn that a red light will
follow. Nowhere does it say that you cannot enter an interesection. Provided
that the front of the vehicle has entered the intersection before the light
turned red, one has not broken the law at all. There is no reason to speed
up, because your only concern (besides safety) should be that you were
legally entering the intersection (which you can do on a yellow). This is
the same reason that cars turning left—but unable to, due to oncoming
traffic—are allowed to remain in the intersection so they can turn even
though their light turns red. So feel proud to enter an intersection on a
yellow. As Jevan elsewhere on the wiki pointed out, the DMV says, "When you
see the yellow light, stop if you can do so safely. If you can’t stop
safely, enter the intersection cautiously." -jr

2006-04-06 15:13:43   Some of these red-light cameras
are so close to the ground that you could knock them off the pole with a 2x4.
Just an observation. —MichaelGiardina

2006-04-07 16:44:27   An article that contains all you need to know on red light cameras.

Basically, (at least in Sacramento County) there are
two coils in the roadway that activate .02 seconds after the light turns red.
You have to cross both for a citation. Each time you cross the coil, it triggers
the camera to take a photo showing your car at the intersection when the light
was red and in the middle of the intersection as well, shoring up your
violation. Red light cameras are a goddamn embarrasment for money hungry cities
and counties looking to make a buch while flagrantly violating one's due process
at the same time. I don't want to get into the legal sermon now, but any witness
testifying at a criminal trial (which traffic court is) needs to have first hand
knowledge of the incident in question. Some pig from the CHP who got some blurry
photos plopped on his desk does not count. —StanOklobdzija

2006-04-07 18:53:06   What if you cross them on your
bike when the light is red? I've done that countless times. —JjDeng

As far as I know, bicycles are treated the same as other
vehicles... but it's not like the cameras will be able to see your license
number, if your bike is even registered. Who would they send the ticket to?
—BrentLaabs

i doubt the camera photographs the bike lane since if that were the
case every car making a right against the red would be ticketed. —MattHh

I'm sure they can see you, but as for tickets, I should have gotten
at least 25 by now. —TusharRawat

$370 * 25 = $9,250 —MatthewLow

2006-04-08 14:18:10   The thing I always wondered is if
these increase accidents from people stopping when they shouldn't at an
intersection (like when the green turns yellow and they slam the brakes not to
get a ticket). —RohiniJasavala

I know I'm braking faster when it turns yellow so people might
rear-end me if they're expecting me to go through the light. I'm actually
relieved that I come to a red light at a red light intersection. —LoriTobias

I put the brakes on when the light turns yellow and then it's my
fault that you run into me because you're following too closely or not paying
attention? PLEASE! Try telling that to the judge - or your insurance company.
Good luck! PaulThober

2006-04-10 20:02:16   Does anyone know what the camera
looking things on top of the lights at the intersection for Sutter Hospital are
for? I thought they were redlight cameras, I guess not. —ZacMorris

I think you might be talking about the little sensors that
ambulances and fire trucks use to change the lights as they approach. These
sensors are much smaller than the cameras.

2006-04-12 16:25:28   From a bus driver... Okay, so
here's the deal. If you cross the limit line, imaginary or painted, before the
light goes red, you have the right-of-way in the intersection. This is why you
are told to eke out into the intersection when you have a yield-left-on-green.
That way, when the light goes yellow, you can still make the turn without
waiting for the next cycle. You could sit and have a tea party (not recommended)
and it'd be your right-of-way. When it's not: if you are one of those people who
feels compelled to go through an intersection, green or yellow, without making
sure you can go all the way through. (I personally hate those people since they
block all kinds of traffic just to sit with their butt in the way, grr.) On that
note, be nice to buses. We are 40' long, a kajillion tons, and can kick your
ass; we're just opting not to. haha —JulieEickhof

2006-08-24 15:40:48   so does that camera light at
sycamore and fifth actually catch you when you do that whole "no right turn on
red?" —StacyWong

2006-10-01 00:00:48   Has any one been ticketed on
sycamore and fifth when you do that whole "no right turn on red?" —ChrisBrown

2006-10-01 10:27:03   I went to Kragen yesterday and
they told me the license plate spray that reflects the red light camera flash is
now illegal. —EmmyMelton

2006-10-01 19:22:43   StacyWong- Did you ever get a
ticket for that violation? I turned right on sycamore and rusell when the no
right turn on the bike light turned on all of a sudden...I didn't see a flash
though, is the flash obvious??? —ChrisBrown

2009-01-09 15:37:41   anyone know if there are red
light cameras at pole line and cowell? they are some sort of camera, maybe
emergency vehicle sensor but they face all directions —joeh

2009-03-11 01:30:49   I used to see flashes going off
when people driving through the intersection in front of Borders (1st and
Richards)ran red lights. I no longer see this. Perhaps they have stopped using
the cameras, or perhaps I just haven't been around when people were driving
through a red light (perhaps the population of Davis learned not to do that, so
it is now a rare event?) Anyone know? —IDoNotExist

2009-07-20 23:25:16   I've had the light flash me when
the light was green but not wearing my seatbelt. Can davis police use these cams
to issue seatbelt tickets. Its happened twice im thinking its not by chance. Im
just curious. —crich

It
is under primary enforcement in California. No idea if they would try to
use them, but they can. Wearing your seatbelt is a good idea for other
reasons; a ticket is far cheaper than the loss of earning power because you
are missing limbs or are otherwise physically or mentally handicapped due to
injury. —jw

2009-07-21 12:39:58   Anyone have any statistical data?
It'd be nice to add it to the page. I remember about a year after these cameras
were put in, there was an aggie article about them, with the numbers of how many
citations were mailed out. A pretty hefty amount, iirc. And were any of the
original fears when these were first put in about rising accident rates at these
intersections turn out to be even remotely valid? —EdWins

2009-07-21 15:58:29   At the Sycamore/Russell
intersection, I "accidently" went when the *green* bike signal went on, I was
turning left from Sycamore to Russell. I didn't see a flash or anything, hoping
I don't get a ticket. I guess I just wasn't paying attention and just saw the
color green and started going. Any ideas? —mperkel

2009-07-21 16:04:02   My friend got ticketed at the
First Street light for turning right. He had to basically pay the ticket, then
go to court to have the ticket thrown out and have his money returned. —JoePomidor

2009-07-21 16:41:51   A similar thing happened to me at
that same intersection, mperkel. I wasn't paying attention and when I saw the
light change to green for the people turning onto Russell, I stupidly drove
through the intersection. I felt awful about it and I'm glad I didn't cause an
accident. I did however see a flash and knew I was going to get a ticket. Three
months went by and I hadn't received anything in the mail so I called the police
department. I was told that I most likely lucked out and was promptly told not
to do it again. I would check to see if your license and car are registered with
your current address. You can always call the police department like I did to
see if there are any outstanding citations. —EmmyMelton

2009-08-04 18:30:13   I accidentally turned right at
Russell and Sycamore when the no right turn on red went on all of the sudden, i
didn't see the flash tho, just wondering if anyone has been ticketed for that
before.

—Greenfriedrice

2009-10-04 15:49:52   So the directions such as
eastbound indicate only one RLC aimed only in that direction? —RicardoSanchez

2009-10-04 15:52:27   If it's only a single RLC most of
those making rights while performing a California stop or going even though
there's a sign saying not to should be safe. —RicardoSanchez

2010-05-05 11:32:14   I recently fought a red light
camera ticket and won. I was photographed by the 2nd and E st camera. I was
shocked when I received the fine, $505, including traffic school. I decided to
fight the ticket and requested trial by mail. I did my research and submitted a
"not guilty" plea, based on hearsay evidence, and asked that the case be
dismissed. I maintained that the officer was not present at the alleged offense,
and was not present during the set-up, testing, operation or verification and
validation of the system. A few weeks later I received a notice that the officer
requested the case be dismissed and my bail was to be returned. If I had been
found guilty, I planned to ask for a trial de novo, and if guilty there, I
planned to appeal the verdict. They were going to have to work for my $505. My
guess is it was too much work to actually prove the case and they decided to go
after the other suckers that roll over and pay the money. —AllenJones

2010-08-15 16:04:52   Hey Allen, how did you request a
trial by mail? Was it on the bail sheet where you can check "Trial by
Declaration"? —Blaine

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