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SALT LAKE CITY — It happens a lot in this country: driving through a red light and getting a ticket because a camera snapped a picture of you doing it.
In fact, 2.3 million citations were issued across 18 states in 2011, according to a new report from the National Coalition for Safer Roads.
Still, red light safety cameras, as they're called, aren't likely to surface in Utah anytime soon.
"I would like to see these devices brought back, but I recognize the political climate and will probably does not exist to do so," said Layton Police Chief Terry Keefe, who is also the president of the Utah Chiefs of Police Association.
I would like to see these devices brought back, but I recognize the political climate and will probably does not exist to do so.
–Chief Terry Keefe, Layton PD
Keefe worked in West Valley in the 1990s. At the time, that city was one of three in Utah to utilize photo radar systems to target speeders.
According to West Valley Police Sgt. Mike Powell, the city allowed the privately-owned, "violator-funded" technology to be deployed in city limits, and police offered assistance in operating it.
Keefe said lawmakers and public officials received complaints from drivers — some of whom claimed they were getting tickets though they were not the ones driving their vehicles.
"[They] complained that they felt that they didn't have an opportunity to confront their accuser when they were getting a ticket because they would get a photo radar ticket in the mail," Keefe said.
Legislators didn't outlaw the technology as commonly thought, Keefe said, but instead limited its use. Now the technology can only be deployed in residential areas, which makes the devices not economically viable, the chief said.
Keefe said he would be interested in bringing photo red light or photo speed systems to Utah.
"I think it's effective," he said. "I saw the effectiveness of photo radar. It did reduce speed and speed-related crashes when it was deployed."
Powell said the numbers he has seen also suggest the technology is effective. "The photo red light system does promote traffic safety," he said.
A 2005 ABC News story looked at red light cameras and found intersections that used the cameras saw a "40 percent decrease in violations on average." The story also said a study by the Texas Transportation Institute concluded "that extending a yellow light by 1.5 seconds would decrease red-light-running by at least 50 percent."
The research from the National Coalition for Safer Roads found afternoon as the peak time for running red lights — 30.7 percent of the citations issued in the study came after red light runs between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Memorial Day was found to be the most dangerous holiday for red light running, with a 27 percent increase in violations over the average weekend.
Contributing: Michael DeGroote, Deseret News
