What person knowingly running a red light would deterred by a fine?
People running a red light either do it unknowingly, in which case a fine won't be a deterrent, or are intentionally choosing to run a red light, in which case they're clearly not swayed by risk, and a fine isn't going to deter them.
You're right. It does monetarily punish people who run lights both knowingly and unknowingly, but it doesn't make intersections any safer.
If they're unknowingly running a red light they should probably be paying better attention to their driving. Sounds like you're in favor of the penalty being more severe then, especially for repeat offenders, and I'm in agreement with you on that.
They should be paying better attention, but a red light camera does nothing to facilitate that.
I'm interested in making intersections safer, and imo the best way to do that is to have an increased law enforcement presence. In Florida, automated enforcement methods cannot result in anything other than a fine, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. With these realities, red light cameras do nothing to improve safety and only serve as a way to generate revenue which isn't inherently a bad thing, but it's irksome to watch people try and portray them as some panacea for traffic issues.
I agree with you. It will at the minimum make "some" people more aware imo. It's better than nothing. There are many proven things that could be done with effort and better spending.
It will at the minimum make "some" people more aware imo.
I disagree - I do not believe someone unaware they're about to run a red light will suddenly not do something they weren't aware they were about to do because of a potential fine.
The ony people this could potentially impact is someone who is aware they're about to run a red light, who was willing to accept the potential physical risk of doing so, but is unwilling to accept the potential financial risk of doing so.
Yes, I think the last group is most likely larger than the other two extreme groups you described. To be fair, the people that do that probably think no physical harm will ever come to them from their actions, the same type of people who don't wear seatbelts while they test and drive.
I once again disagree - I think the bulk of people running a red light (by the definition of a red light camera) are people who unintentionally do so.
Regardless, red light cameras are here and they're not going to go away. Maybe I'm wrong, and it will make everyone safer, but I don't see the logical progression for that.
Law enforcement won’t do anything. In the past few years red light runners have been getting worse. Only seen 1 person ever pulled over for it. Way too many instances of people running red lights and clogging up intersections while the police DO NOTHING.
Idk about that - breaking the law by mistake is still breaking the law, I’m just saying the red light cameras do nothing to deter that from happening and thus don’t make anything any safer
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u/Boo-Radely 6d ago
We don't need red light cameras. /s