Red light cameras in Texas catch more than 1 million drivers every year

More than 1.2 million motorists are caught by red-light cameras in Texas each year, according to the latest data collected by state transportation officials.  There are more than 300 red-light cameras on intersections in at least three dozen Texas cities.

The cameras have generated at least $60 million in fines. The cities share the profits - fines, less expenses - with the state, and spend the rest on traffic safety.

A Texas state law requires cities to report information about their cameras to the Texas Department of Transportation.  TXDOT recently published their reports, allowing anyone statistics from 2008 to 2009 at each monitored intersection.

Duncanville Police Chief Robert Brown, whose city includes the intersection with the most tickets from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, believes they make his intersections safer by raising awareness about signals.  He says "We made the decision to install the cameras because, at the end of the day, they make the community a safer place to travel."

The cameras catch motorists enter an intersection after a light changes from yellow to red. Cameras are mounted on poles before an intersection and take pictures and video from behind offending vehicles. All monitored intersections display warning signs.

Houston city officials maintain that there is only a small percentage of false tickets or double citations. This might be because most cities require employees to approve each violation before sending citations out.  

Houston has more cameras than any other Texas city.

As Houston Car Accident Lawyers, we hope these red-light cameras will prevent auto accident injuries and fatalities.  However, many accidents still occur each day in our great city.  For a free evaluation of your Houston Auto Accident Injury case, please contact SMSH at info@smslegal.com or call us at (713) 524-3500.