Auto Club Opposes Torlakson Red Light Camera Bill; SB 780 Curbs Safety Features, Eliminates Due Process Protection for Motorists and Gives Private Vendors More Control

    LOS ANGELES--April 17, 2003--The Automobile Club of Southern California opposes Senate Bill 780 by Sen. Tom Torlakson.
    The bill places ticket volume over safety, eliminates a due process protection for motorists, creates unequal penalty schedules for red light violations and allows vendors to assume more control over municipal red light camera enforcement programs.
    Current law requires that a citation that results from a red light camera system must also contain a clear photograph of the license plate and the vehicle driver. The reason for the driver photo provision is to identify and fine the person responsible for running the red light, while providing due process protections for vehicle owners whom may not have been responsible for the violation.
    SB 780 proposes to remove the driver photo requirement and, therefore, makes it harder for an innocent driver to challenge a red light camera ticket.
    "Last year, a report by the state auditor on red light camera programs cautioned that more controls -- not fewer -- are needed to make the programs more effective and less subject to abuse," said Alice Bisno, vice president of government affairs.
    "Studies from other states show that removing the driver photo requirement does nothing to further reduce red light violations. SB 780 discards this key protection for motorists and we believe such a move will make identifying the law breaker more difficult."
    "For example, if a car owner gives his vehicle to a parking valet or a friend and that person runs a red light, the photo is required to prove who was behind the wheel, so they are properly prosecuted," added Bisno.
    SB 780 also lowers the fine for those caught running a red light by a camera. Currently, all red light violators may be assessed a fine of up to $341 and have a point added to their driving record. Under Torlakson's bill, motorists caught running a red light by camera would pay a maximum fine of $200, while those caught by a traffic officers would continue to be assessed up to $341 and have a point added to their driving record.
    "Red light running is a very serious offense and resulted in more than 25,000 crashes in California during 2000," added Bisno. "Creating different penalties for the same violation is bad policy that says the act of running a red light is somehow less serious when photographed by a camera rather than being stopped by a traffic officer. For some people this potentially deadly moving violation would become nothing more than an expensive parking ticket."
    Red light cameras can reduce crashes. Statewide collision data collected from 1995 to 2001 showed a 10% decrease in accidents caused by motorists running red lights in those jurisdictions with cameras, compared with no change in those jurisdictions without cameras. But the cameras have been subject to public criticism and legal challenges.
    In one red light camera lawsuit in San Diego, the judge ruled that the city did not exercise enough control over its red light camera program to meet legal obligations.
    It is important these programs target the most dangerous intersections, not those likely to generate the most tickets. By placing more control in the hands of vendors, SB 780 runs the risk that revenue, not safety will guide the selection process.
    "SB 780 takes the red light camera programs in the opposite direction from what the state auditor recommended in the way of reforms," said Bisno. "It does little to advance motorist safety and will further erode public trust. It is simply bad policy."
    The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs and legislative advocacy.