Cameras at intersections might save lives

Several months ago, the idea of putting cameras at some of Cape Girardeau's busiest intersections to catch motorists who run red lights created quite a furor. A lot of opponents cited privacy issues and expressed concerns about confusion over who might be driving a vehicle caught by a camera as it goes through the intersection illegally.

While these are legitimate concerns that need to be addressed before the cameras are put in place, the biggest complaint was no surprise. Many opponents to the intersection cameras said they didn't like the idea of a machine tagging them for a ticket as they push the limit on yellow caution lights.

Indeed, there is some cause for this concern. About the time the debate over intersection cameras reached a furor here, there were news stories from another state where the cameras were being used. As it turns out in that instance, the timing of the yellow lights had been either inadvertently or purposely changed so that almost any motorist entering a camera-monitored intersection on a yellow light had no chance of getting through the intersection before the light turned red. As a result, tickets and fines soared.

But the same thing could happen in a town where intersections are monitored by officers in patrol cars. If the timer for the yellow light were drastically shortened, a nimble officer could issue a pile of tickets in a short period of time. So this issue has less to do with cameras than with the scruples of any police department that would try such a scheme.

As it turns out, Cape Girardeau's discussions about cameras at intersections may have been premature. Only 15 states currently have laws that allow tickets to be issued based on photographic evidence. Missouri isn't one of them. But there is an effort in the Missouri Legislature to create such a law. Many of the same arguments that were heard in Cape Girardeau are being repeated in Jefferson City. The bill was soundly trounced by the Senate Transportation Committee after a recent hearing. Unless the bill can be attached to some other legislation destined for approval, the bill allowing cameras at intersections isn't likely to get passed this year.

But the arguments in favor of using cameras are compelling. Law enforcement officers who testified in favor of the cameras at the Senate hearing said they believe the cameras would be a deterrent to drivers who habitually run red lights. Just knowing the cameras might be watching would compel many motorists to exercise more care at signal-controlled intersections.

And the statistics are also compelling. There were some 8,000 injuries last year that involved red-light and stop-sign violations. And there were more than 40 deaths. Those numbers alone suggest cameras would be a useful tool to save lives and prevent injuries.