An activist is protesting the use of red-light cameras in Sugar Land, taking his concerns to the Municipal Court to vent his frustrations. The cameras are there to snap photos of people running red lights, sending them tickets by mail in an effort to reduce accidents.
“Red-light cameras are unfair to the driving public because drivers are forced to guess how long the yellow light will remain illuminated,” said H.F. Van Der Grinten, a semiretired shipmaster. He maintains that the cameras do not reduce accidents and are little more than a source of revenue for the town.
He even circulated fliers to drivers who had received such tickets, urging them to contest the tickets on the ground that the photographic evidence did not identify who was driving, merely the vehicle they were in.
Sugar Land has five such cameras. Houston’s cameras have been shut down, despite the fact that outstanding fines from the cameras are valued at $25 million. In League City, voters are preparing to decide whether or not the red-light cameras there will last another year.
In other words, across the area, red-light cameras are a hot-button issue.
In League City, the company who owns the contract for the red-light cameras is suing the city for what they say is “vague” and “misleading” language in the ballot initiative that could eliminate the cameras.
There are many arguments for and against the cameras. While some evidence exists that they reduce side-impact accidents at intersections, some say they actually increase rear-end accidents as drivers slam on their brakes to avoid getting a ticket in the mail.
The argument that the cameras are nothing more than a way to make money was put to the test in Dallas several years ago when the cameras were shut down for being too effective. In other words, drivers responded to the cameras by stopping, and because the city couldn’t make enough money from the shrinking red-light violations, they suspended the program.
Ideally, the cameras will make intersections safer, but the questions about their costs and effectiveness are valid.
Houston Accident Attorney
Whether you were sideswiped by a driver at an intersection or were rear-ended—if you were hurt in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t be held responsible for the consequences. In other words, if another driver injured you, you deserve justice.
We can all increase our safety by improving our own driving, but we cannot be responsible when other drivers choose to run red lights or text while behind the wheel. As a Houston car accident attorney, I am dedicated to seeking justice for my clients. If you’ve been hurt in an accident, contact me today to discuss the facts of your case and how I might be able to help.
I can be reached at 281-677-3967.
