Red light cameras were created to improve driver safety. They don't. What they do is bring in money by the bucketful for the towns that install them. But in New Jersey, most towns have been told to stop using them -- and you won't believe why.
Red-light cameras reduce fatal car crashes, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In the cities studied, deaths involving red-light violations dropped by an average of nearly 25%. But don't expect the cameras to bring in city revenue.
Motorists, beware. Some cities have been caught shortening the duration of yellow lights to make more revenue off tickets for running red lights, the National Motorists Association says. At least six cities including Dallas and Chattanooga, Tenn. have engaged in the practice in recent years, the organization says.