2020's Worst Red-Light Runners: Florida Tops List Of Violators

FLORIDA — A state legislator is mounting another attempt to repeal Florida's red-light camera ordinance.

After a failed attempt last year, Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R- Howey-in-the-Hills, plans to file a bill in the 2021 legislative session banning the use of red-light cameras intended to catch drivers running red lights at intersections.

Sabatini argues that the cameras punish Florida's working-class residents by imposing inflated fines.

According to Arizona-based smart transportation company Verra Mobility, Florida has some of the worst red-light camera violators in the country. Verra Mobility and six other national companies provide red-light camera monitoring systems to cities, counties and states throughout the country to catch drivers running red lights.

On Tuesday, the company released videos of 2020's worst red-light runners. Despite fewer drivers on the road due to the coronavirus, the footage shows a continued disregard for obeying traffic signals, resulting in deadly crashes.

Top violators included drivers in Florida, Arizona, Maryland, Alabama, North Carolina and Louisiana.

“These shocking crashes – captured in a year when traffic was actually down due to the pandemic – serve as a chilling reminder of the dangers that red-light runners present to our neighbors, friends and families,” said Garrett Miller, Verra Mobility executive vice president of government solutions. “In most cases these tragedies can be attributed to distracted driving and reckless behavior, making these collisions, not accidents."

Courtesy Verra Mobility

In 2010 in an attempt to reduce crashes at intersections, Florida passed a law allowing cities and counties to install red-light cameras at some of the state's most dangerous intersections. The Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program law was named for a man killed by a driver who ran a red light.

But the decision to use the smart technology has been controversial from the start.

The cameras take still shots and videos of traffic feeds, capturing images of license plates when vehicles run red lights or make right turns on red lights where it's prohibited.

Drivers claim the technology is fallible and serves only to line the pockets of governments and the private companies that provide the technology. Violations can range from $75 to $200.

However, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that red-light cameras reduced the fatal red-light crash rates in large cities by 21 percent and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at intersections with signals by 14 percent.

“Red-light cameras are an effective way to discourage red-light running," said the institute in a news release. "Enforcement is the best way to get people to comply with any law, but it's impossible for police to be at every intersection. Cameras can fill the void.”

Not all Florida legislators agree.

Lawmakers have considered several bills over the past decade to repeal the red-light camera law, arguing the cameras are operated by profit-making companies and are designed to raise revenue, not save lives. However, the attempts to repeal the red-light camera law have yet to gain the approval of both the House and Senate.

The law has been challenged in court, as well. But in 2018 and again on Nov. 24, the Florida Supreme Court declined to take the case.

Sabatini isn't giving up, however. He said the average ticket for a red-light camera violation is $158, but the amount increases to $262 if the violator fails to pay the fine after receiving just one notification. He said that's unfair to families struggling to pull themselves out of the economic impacts of the pandemic.

Sabatini has already submitted another bill to repeal the law during the 2021 legislative session.

In the meantime, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles warns Florida drivers to stop at red if they hope to avoid those hefty fines.

As of 2018, the FDHSMV said 63 Florida cities are currently operating 638 red-light cameras.

The website Photoenforced, a database updated by anonymous users, puts the total at 751 red-light cameras operating at intersections throughout Florida.

Both statistics are lower than a decade ago as more government jurisdictions opt out of the program.

Photoenforced said 350 red-light cameras have been removed from Florida intersections in the last 10 years. Some cities, like Miami, have now banned the use of the cameras.

According to Terry Rhodes, executive director of the Florida motor vehicle safety department, 1,054,234 red-light camera violations were issued in Florida in 2018-19. Some were contested; some were dismissed. When compared to the moderate manpower needed to run the program (about 150 sworn officers and non-sworn government employees to review camera images and issue citations), the program did provide cities and counties with an additional source of revenue, he conceded.

But Rhodes said the real takeaway is whether red-light cameras prevent crashes and make intersections safer, and the jury's still out.

In his report, Rhodes noted that the state recorded 10,410 accidents at intersections before red-light cameras were installed. After the cameras were installed, there were 12,211 accidents.

Courtesy Florida Department of Motor Vehicles

This could be due to a number of factors such as more drivers going through the intersection. Either way, Rhodes recommended that the state gather more data before determining the merits of red-light cameras.

Courtesy Florida Department of Motor Vehicles

Interested in finding out where the red-light cameras are in your town? Click here.