Letters to the Editor: SBJ readers comment on red-light camera issue

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|bold_on|Arguments invalid|ret||ret||tab|

After reading the article on the above subject in your fine publication, I found it necessary to respond. |ret||ret||tab|

It is an insult to one's intelligence to swallow the line put out by Ms. Sanders and the following proves me out.|ret||ret||tab|

"That's because Sanders ... doesn't think people that run red lights do it on purpose." So do they do it because they are thrill seekers? They enjoy paying fines? |ret||ret||tab|

"Sanders estimates that 99 percent of the clients she sees did not break the law intentionally. ..." Prisons are full of innocent people. |ret||ret||tab|

"I see a lot of people that enter an intersection on green to turn left, and because of the heavy traffic ..." They get stuck because of people running the red light!!! Wow, a vicious circle. |ret||ret||tab|

"Other clients run red lights because they are behind big trucks ..." If they were not following so close then they could see. Please enough!! |ret||ret||tab|

But there is more, "I see people that approach a light and it turns yellow, and they intend to stop but see cars in their rearview mirror..." So I assume Ms. Sanders spends time at busy intersections watching people react to yellow lights in heavy traffic? The first reaction on most drivers on yellow is to speed up or stop , not look into their rear view mirrors at the traffic.|ret||ret||tab|

This article is baseless and blatantly one-sided. It is an editorial not a news story. I do not normally respond, but this time I could not resist.|ret||ret||tab|

Respectfully yours,|ret||ret||tab|

Robert Brady|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Buckhorn Inc|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|Cameras and safety|ret||ret||tab|

An individual's interest in the use of red-light camera enforcement may be dependent on their experience. Have they received a ticket for running a red light or have they received injuries as a result of someone else running a red light? |ret||ret||tab|

According to the Federal Highway Administration, drivers who run red lights are involved in 89,000 crashes a year, inflicting nearly 1,000 deaths and more than 80,000 injuries. In Springfield last year, red-light running resulted in more than 1,700 citations by the Springfield Police Department.|ret||ret||tab|

Nationally, over the past decade, the number of fatal crashes at intersections has increased. A survey by Stop Red Light Running showed 98 percent of Americans agree that red-light running is dangerous. |ret||ret||tab|

Yet, more than half those surveyed admit to deliberately running red lights.|ret||ret||tab|

Developing safe habits and attitudes which result in changing dangerous behavior is a responsibility we all share, just as we share driving on our streets and highways. Safety education is one principal area that contributes to the reduction of human loss and suffering resulting from unintentional or preventable causes what we commonly refer to as "accidents."|ret||ret||tab|

Another proven area of changing dangerous behavior is through enforcement. Drivers who run red lights often think no one is watching because so few receive tickets. |ret||ret||tab|

Red-light photo enforcement is a promising technology with reports from many communities demonstrating successful reduction in violations.|ret||ret||tab|

Often criticized as an expensive alternative to enforcement by police officers, cities can recover the cost by efficient use of tax revenue savings in lieu of a police officer's time in writing tickets. Also, to keep costs down, cameras can be rotated among housings at various locations. |ret||ret||tab|

Signs reading Electronically Monitored Intersection" help make this approach work. In comparison, the national financial cost of crashes is substantial an estimated $192.2 billion in 1999, including $20.7 billion in medical expenses, $66.4 billion in lost wages and reduced productivity, and $45.8 billion in vehicle damage. (National Safety Council's Injury Facts 2000 edition)|ret||ret||tab|

Experts agree that a red-light camera system works most effectively when communities introduce them with a public-information campaign to raise awareness and give motorists the opportunity to comply with the law. The red-light camera system becomes a voluntary program if you choose not to run red lights, the camera doesn't take your photo.|ret||ret||tab|

Because of the increasing hazards associated with red-light running, the National Safety Council recommends the delayed-acceleration method of entering an intersection after the light turns green. This two-second delay technique involves looking left, looking right, scanning straight ahead, and looking left again. This allows the driver time to analyze traffic without becoming a statistic in the red-light camera debate.|ret||ret||tab|

Safety Council of the Ozarks|ret||ret||tab|

Paula Gleason|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Director of driver|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|improvement programs|ret||ret||tab|

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