THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 28, 1995 TAG: 9511280292
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
The Police Department said Monday it is studying a proposal to equip key intersections with cameras that photograph red-light runners and then mail them tickets.
The ticket would be sent to the offending car's registered owner.
Police wouldn't discuss the specifics of the plan, such as where the cameras would be located, saying that is being studied. The Police Department is scheduled to present the idea to the City Council Dec. 5.
The General Assembly passed a bill in February to allow this kind of video enforcement.
Last year in Virginia, 38 people were killed in nearly 7,000 crashes where drivers ran through red lights, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Running red lights is among the state's and nation's highest contributors to accidents, statistics show.
Because of rising numbers of intersection accidents, Northern Virginia put a video-enforcement system in place last summer. Fairfax County and other Northern Virginia localities were among the nation's first places to try such a system.
New York City is operating a similar system.
In Northern Virginia, sensors trigger a camera to shoot video of a cars motoring through red lights. A technician enlarges the photo to show the license plate, then the police mail the owner a copy of the picture and the ticket.
The penalty there is a $50 civil fine. The infraction is not considered a moving violation that adds demerits to a driver's DMV record.
Drivers in Northern Virginia may escape payment if they sign a sworn statement that they were not behind the wheel when their car was caught on film.
Similar proposals in other areas have sought to hold the owner responsible no matter who was driving, just as car owners are responsible for parking tickets, no matter who parked.
Because of concerns about the ticketing process, the Texas legislature rejected a similar system in May.
Roadway cameras aren't new in Hampton Roads. Virginia Beach erected cameras to monitor the Oceanfront in 1992. And now there are 38 cameras watching traffic on Interstates 264 and 64 and The Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway. Other cameras monitor traffic in the area's numerous tunnels.
None of the video surveillance, however, is being used solely for traffic enforcement.
The interstate cameras are used to monitor traffic flow, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. And while the Oceanfront cameras can help police catch lawbreakers, officers still have to stop and ticket violators.
Police in the resort city wouldn't say how much a photo-enforcement system would cost. In San Francisco, where the idea is being studied, installation of the system is projected to be $8,000 per intersection and the cameras would cost $50,000 each.
In Canada, the provinces of Ontario and Alberta use a photo-enforcement system that nails speeders with a civil fine, but no demerit points. The initial outlay in Ontario was $700,000 for the photo-radar equipment. Police issued several million dollars worth of tickets - at $72 a pop - in the program's first few months. MEMO: Staff librarian Peggy Earle contributed to this report
KEYWORDS: TRAFFIC CAMERAS by CNB