AAA, the motorist organization, has flipped its position on the use of red-light cameras at intersections. AAA Auto Club South is lobbying Gov. Charlie Crist to veto the red-light cameras at intersections as the latest way to enforce traffic rules. Gov. Crist supports the bill and has until Saturday to decide what to do. Based on an Orlando Sentinel report, the cameras are installed at intersections to stop red-light running after the signal changes red. An officer reviews and confirms the violation and makes sure the license tag is legible and then mails the vehicle offender a ticket for $125 and $250 for any subsequent violations.
AAA, in a nine-page letter to Crist, said that that the fine would go to the state’s general operating budget, while $13 would go to emergency rooms and the rest to cities and counties. The group also complains that the notice to speeding motorists could take up to 90 days.
AAA says the problem might be better addressed by adjusting the traffic signals. There are no studies regarding which intersections would have the red light cameras and early indications are that the cameras can actually cause more accidents when the motorist ahead stops suddenly and is rear-ended. An experienced car crash lawyer in Jacksonville can be your best ally if you find yourself in that situation. Only a skilled attorney and investigator can look into the facts to find the at-fault driver and assess liability.
About 30 Florida cities already have cameras in place, including Orlando, which installed about a dozen red-light cameras at five intersections. If the governor signs the bill, it will take effect July 1 and with fines around $125 should bring in about $29 million in revenue from fines in the coming year. By the year 2014, state revenue could jump to about $95 million by 2014 and local governments could receive about $66 million by 2014.
