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"There's no more common sense on our highways," she said. "We no longer have the right to expect to be safe at our intersections because so many people are violating the law."
"These cameras are so important," Wandall said. "They really save lives."
"There's no question whatsoever that these cameras cut fatalities by 60 to 70 percent," [Ron Reagan] said. "But, more importantly, they make people more conscious, more aware, that they simply must stop on the red light."
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Proponents say red light traffic cameras save lives. Opponents call the devices Orwellian threats to freedom. The Florida Legislature is trying to map a route through the controversy.
Two bills (HB 325, SB 2166) would establish statewide guidelines for the use of red light cameras, providing statutory cover for dozens of municipalities that already have installed them and, under questionable legal authority, are collecting fines from violators.
Both bills are named for Mark Wandall, 30, killed near Bradenton by a red-light runner in October 2003.
When the light turns green, prudent drivers look both ways before proceeding. But Wandall's widow, Melissa Wandall, believes all motorists need an additional margin of safety, so she began lobbying for the bills.
"There's no more common sense on our highways," she said. "We no longer have the right to expect to be safe at our intersections because so many people are violating the law."
According to state legislative analysts, a two-month study at a single intersection in Palm Beach County found that 50 cars ran through red lights during an average day - and it often wasn't a close call. Twenty percent of those cars entered the intersection at least two seconds after the light changed.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that 76 people were killed and 5,607 people injured in accidents caused in 2008 by drivers disregarding traffic signals.
"These cameras are so important," Wandall said. "They really save lives."
More than 400 communities around the country are using red light traffic cameras, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. More than 50 municipalities in Florida have installed the devices, but state law does not appear to authorize citations and fines based on what experts call "automated enforcement" of such devices.
Under the two bills citations could be sent by mail and fines of about $155 could be assessed against the owners of vehicles that run red lights. The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Ron Reagan, R-Sarasota.
"There's no question whatsoever that these cameras cut fatalities by 60 to 70 percent," Reagan said. "But, more importantly, they make people more conscious, more aware, that they simply must stop on the red light."
Opponents say the research is not as definitive as Reagan and others assert.
"Everyone just slams on their brakes when they get to a yellow light, so you get more rear-end crashes," said Bret Lusskin, a Hallandale Beach attorney who specializes in traffic offenses.
The House and Senate bills differ slightly, but both impose fines on the owners of offending vehicle, because drivers rarely can be identified in the photos.
Credit: By Martin Merzer The Associated Press
Photo(s); Caption: Cameras such as this one photograph license plates of cars that run red lights.Janeris Marte, FPG
(Copyright 2010 by the Sun-Sentinel)