Editorial: Eyes on traffic safety

City officials may reinforce an important traffic rule to Pittsburghers: just stop. Pittsburgh is considering installing cameras at certain intersections that photograph cars speeding through red lights.

Using cameras to enforce red light runners isn’t a new concept or technology. New York and San Francisco had cameras installed in the mid-90s, and now more than 200 U.S. cities use them. Never mind the mistrustful naysayer who screams “Big Brother” at the sight of any looming lens — these cameras, if initiated, should be an effective tool for the city without invading privacy.

As part of a pilot program, Philadelphia installed several cameras amid the heavily trafficked Route 1 back in 2005. The intersections with the cameras average around 27 tickets per day compared to 120 per day in the first year, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Philadelphia is considering adding more cameras.

While the specific spots where these cameras would be placed in Pittsburgh aren’t yet known, they should force wayward drivers to pay attention to red lights. The state could, of course, look to other measures to enforce red lights, such as adding more police, but these cameras are efficient and cost-effective tools. Traffic accidents are the single most significant cause of preventable death and injury in North America. In 2007, almost 900 people were killed and an estimated 153,000 were injured in crashes that involved red light running in the United States, according to The National Safety Commission.

Should the cameras be used to monitor activity within the vehicle, they could be seen as infringing on privacy concerns. But the cameras intend only to catch drivers running through red lights. The lenses simply photograph the rear license plate of violators’ vehicles. That’s it. The cameras will not take pictures of the car’s driver or any of its passengers. Once the camera photographs a perpetrator’s license number, the ticket is sent to him in the mail.

In 2006, Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto introduced legislation to bring red light cameras to the city, but he couldn’t accumulate sufficient votes to pass it. Peduto, however, plans to try again next year. He said the fines generated would go toward infrastructure improvement. As of August, Philadelphia has already seen almost $9 million in revenue from the violations. “We would’ve used the people who make the city dangerous and use their fines to make the city safer,” Peduto said. He’s got a point.

While the cameras have reduced accidents and fatalities, some locations have seen increases in rear-end collisions as drivers hastily slam the brakes after noticing the camera towers.

All things considered, it’s a minor drawback to the safety benefit these cameras can provide.