Drivers Getting the Picture Thanks to Oxnard Cameras

A picture may be worth a thousand words but it’s not worth 270 bucks, motorists here have decided.

In the two years since cameras were installed at local traffic intersections, the number of red-light violations has dropped 42%, according to a study released Wednesday.

The city had taken part in a nationwide experimental program in which motorists who ran red lights were caught on film and sent a $270 ticket by mail.

Nationally, researchers have found that drivers who run red lights cause more than 250,000 crashes a year.

But cities that participated in the pilot camera program incurred a decrease in accidents and violations, according to the study conducted by the Virginia-based Insurance Institute Highway Safety.

Since implementing the program, there have been no red-light fatalities in Oxnard. The year before the program began, there were two, a police official said, adding that the program will become permanent.

“Oxnard has really been a pioneer in terms of using this approach,” study researcher Richard Retting said. “The results suggest that [the program] should be done on a much larger scale.”

State legislation approved Tuesday could clear the way for more cities to join the program. In a 49-26 vote, the state Assembly approved the bill that makes permanent the authority of local governments to use the film evidence to capture red-light violators. The bill now goes to Gov. Pete Wilson, who is expected to support the measure.

Already, Port Hueneme has expressed interest in starting a similar program, said Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard), who supported the bill. He said the cameras contributed to public safety.

“We’ve all been at a light when it turns green, then had a late runner going right through the intersection,” Takasugi said. “It’s a dangerous practice that needs to be discouraged.”

But some members of the Assembly said money, not safety, was the real motivator behind the bill. Tom McClintock (R-Northridge) said private corporations that manufacture the machines receive a cut from every ticket issued. McClintock said local governments also stand to gain a bundle of cash, at the expense, he said, of the sometimes innocent motorist.

“They have been nothing but huge revenue machines for government wherever they have been installed,” McClintock said. “The camera can’t tell the difference between a wanton act and a harmless split second misjudgment.”

Takasugi, however, said safety guards were in place.

“These are not innocent people who are getting ticketed,” Takasugi said. “They are drivers who are clearly in the intersection when the picture is snapped. It’s calibrated, so there is no room for error.”

Ken Klopman, an Oxnard senior officer and traffic coordinator, said officials have posted warning signs at the entrance to the city and not at the nine intersections where the cameras are situated. Consequently, the number of red-light tickets have decreased throughout the city, he said.

“We don’t want people to behave themselves only at the camera intersections,” he said. “We want people to behave themselves at every intersection.”