Red Light Cameras

Public Safety Comes First!

Get the Picture!
Stop at the RED! Don’t be caught on camera.

Photo equipment to monitor red light compliance is operational at the intersection of Citrus Avenue and University Street.

On January 15, 2008, the City Council approved an agreement with Redflex Traffic Systems to install a photo-based traffic safety system to monitor red light runners, known colloquially as “red light cameras.”

The Problem:
Drivers who fail to stop for red signal lights cause 260,000 collisions per year in the United States. As a result, nearly 1,000 people are killed, thousands more injured, and hundreds of billions of dollars are lost due to property damage and lost work productivity, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The estimated cost in California alone is more than $20 billion. Surveys reveal that two out of three drivers witness other drivers running red lights on a daily basis.

A Proven Solution:
Red light cameras have been shown to be effective in reducing collisions both at the intersection where they are installed and at other intersections in the area. A recent Orange County Grand Jury report detailing the effectiveness of red light camera systems found that, overall, collisions decreased substantially, in some cases up to 65 percent, at the locations where the cameras were installed.

In studies done for the city by Redflex in the summer of 2007, the intersection of University Street and Citrus Avenue was determined to be the most dangerous intersection in the city in terms of red light violators and the one with the highest incidence of red light violations.

From November 1997 through October 2006, there were 120 traffic collisions at the intersection, including 50 involving injuries. Two people died in a collision there in December 2003.

From November 2006 through October 2007 there were 17 reported traffic collisions, including two hit-and-run collisions and six involving injuries at the same intersection.

“This is purely a public safety issue,” says Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann. “While we anticipate the system will pay for itself over the first year in fines levied on violators, ultimately the success of red light cameras will be measured in the decreasing number of violators and, more importantly, collisions at that intersection and others throughout the city.”

The Redlands Police Department selected Redflex Traffic Systems after vetting several other similar vendors. Selection was based in part on Redflex’s extensive experience in the traffic safety arena and an impressive client base that includes nearly 50 percent of all photo-based traffic safety programs operating in the United States.

The five-year contract with Redflex limits the city’s potential financial risk to a maximum of a year. Under terms of the contract, the city will pay Redflex a flat fee of $6,000 a month for the single monitored intersection. If the number of traffic violations is reduced to a level where the amount of money paid to the city in fines is less than the $6,000 owed to Redflex, the city has a right to terminate the contract after a year.

Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. is the largest provider of digital red light and speed enforcement services in North America. With headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., and offices across the United States, the company provides traffic safety technology and administrative expertise that helps reduce deaths and injuries resulting from traffic collisions. Redflex, which partners with public safety officials in state and local governments, has created many of the technology and processing methods that are now standard in the photo enforcement industry. Founded in 1986, Redflex Traffic Systems is the longest consistently operating company in the industry.