November 12, 1997
RED LIGHT CAMERA FACTS...

Our government's focus on speeding fine revenue had diverted it's attention
from issues which will reduce expensive traffic crashes -- such as
intersections.  Multi-million dollar cost overruns highlight the inability of
this government to manage these high-tech projects.  The best interests of the
taxpayer and safety are served by using existing police officers to enforce
laws based on safety, not revenue.

* In 1995, 33.05% of all BC crashes and 44.87% of injury crashes were in
  intersections.  Insurance payouts from injury crashes (particularly soft
  tissue injury) likely represent the most significant portion of the cost of
  automobile insurance in BC.

* Poorly planned government, ICBC, and police priorities have allowed chronic
  red-light offending to go largely unchecked:

     Convictions      1993      1994      1995        Total      Average
     Speeding       403,241   391,643   365,518     1,160,402    386,801
     Red Light       12,848    12,897    11,928        37,673     12,558

  It is suspected that the majority of red light convictions are issued post-
  crash, thus for almost 400,000 speeding convictions each year, there are
  only about 6,000 preventative red light convictions. (Speeding ticket
  volumes are pre-photo radar, expect 300,000 to 700,000 additional each
  year).

* Installation costs for red light cameras (including housing, electrical, and
  detectors) is in the $70,000 to $120,000 range per intersection.
  Significant operational costs are also incurred to process the film into
  tickets.  Government ineptitude allowed photo radar development costs to
  balloon from $10 million to an estimated $30 million plus, while enforcement
  levels could have easily been achieved by putting this money (and other
  infrastructure-related operational costs) into multi-function police
  officers which do not be obsolescent.

* Like photo radar, red light cameras fail to ensure that offending drivers
  are licensed, insured, competent, and unimpaired.  All drivers are not
  equal: risk-taking behaviour is frequently associated with other anti-social
  behaviours such as drug and alcohol impairment.  These drivers need to have
  direct police officer interaction to assess their ability to drive.

* Automated enforcement allows governments to seek payment from the vehicle
  owners by threatening to withhold vehicle insurance; drivers can be more
  difficult to seek payment from.  Automated enforcement creates a reverse-
  onus on the owner, who may not be the offender.

* Effective and safe enforcement of intersections could be achieved by using
  inexpensive video cameras to record offenders and police officers stationed
  down stream to apprehend the drivers.  Ample amounts of police resources are
  available from revenue-motivated speeding enforcement.

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SENSE is a not-for-profit society dedicated to improving road safety and the
elimination of the photo radar tax-grab disguised as a safety initiative.  It
urges a comprehensive approach to traffic safety including tough, European-
style licensing requirements as a means of making the province's roads safe to
drive on.