A fair approach to red-light cameras

With red-light cameras all over the suburbs these days, why do some major intersections lack these sentinels of electronic enforcement?

In some DuPage County cases, it's because at least one of the intersecting roads is controlled by the county. And the DuPage County Board, so far, hasn't been terribly enthusiastic about red-light cameras. So busy intersections like 75th Street and Naper Boulevard in Naperville remain surveillance-free.

Bowing to pressure from municipalities that want cameras monitoring such intersections, the county board's transportation committee is set to debate a proposed policy today that would allow red-light cameras. But many county board members say they'll go along only if the policy bans camera-generated tickets for turning right on red at those intersections.

"I'm for making sure it's a police tool and making sure they're not using it just for the money they make from it," DuPage County Board member John Curran said.

It's a reasonable approach, one that has the potential to reduce accidents from drivers blowing straight through red lights without adding to the many enforcement questions surrounding much more common violations for right turns on red lights.

A Daily Herald series in July pointed out that most of the red-light tickets - 90 percent in some towns - are issued for right turns on red. Traffic experts question the value of making this such a high priority, since such violations contribute to few serious accidents. And some drivers question the fairness of those tickets, saying they stopped their cars completely before turning right, but overshot the white stop line. A violation in Illinois, that triggers a flash of the camera and often a $100 fine.

Some towns agreed. Lakemoor Village President Todd Weihofen, whose town is considering cameras at routes 12 and 120, says police will be lenient if drivers appeal a ticket they got for turning right on red. Few towns make such statements outright, but there's no question enforcement is uneven on right-on-red violations.

For reasons such as these, we previously have opposed fining motorists for right-on-red violations caught by cameras. Yet, we don't believe egregious traffic violations like racing through a red light should be ignored.

We'd add two more caveats to the stance being considered by these DuPage board members: Eliminate tickets for right on red, don't make drivers appeal in order to get the fines erased. And keep track of accident and violation rates for any intersections where cameras are installed. If they can't be proven to reduce accidents, take the cameras down.

Safety is their selling point. Make the red-light cameras live up to it.