IRVINE

The Police Department will officially unveil a new surveillance system Nov. 9 to record cars running through red lights.

But red-light runners will not have to worry about being caught on camera right away. Delays in contract negotiations with the two suppliers mean the cameras will not be installed until as late as next year. The pilot program originally intended to have the cameras up and shooting by early August.

City officials had approved putting cameras at two intersections in May in response to the soaring number of fatalities caused by red-light violators. Last year, 25% of Irvine’s fatal crashes occurred due to drivers who sailed through red lights--a rate 10 times higher than the national average.