Traffic Cameras Picture Red Drivers Make Driving Car

If you drive in Los Angeles, be ready to have your picture taken. As of September 2008, at about 175 "intersections" (places where two streets cross) in the Los Angeles area, you will find cameras ready to take your picture if you break the law.

The idea behind the traffic cameras, the government says, is to "reduce" (lower) the number of "collisions" (when two things, usually cars, hit each other violently) when people "run a red light," which is when drivers continue driving after the traffic light has already turned red, telling them to stop. When drivers run red lights, they can cause head-on collisions, where the two cars' front ends hit each other, or one car can "side-swipe" another, which is when one car hits the side of another car. The "rationale" (explanation; reasoning) for using these cameras is that they will make driving safer.

If a driver breaks a traffic law in one of these intersections, the camera takes a picture of the car showing the license plate and perhaps of the driver, and a copy of that picture is mailed to the driver with the ticket.

However, many unhappy drivers say that the real reason for the cameras is to increase "revenue" (earnings; money that is received) for the city. As of 2008, a ticket costs about $175 for illegal right turns and about $400 for running a red light. About 80% of the tickets are for illegal right turns. In the U.S., drivers can make legal right turns even when the light is red if no cars are coming if they first make a full and complete stop. Those who don't make a complete stop can get a $175 ticket. Some people say that not making a full stop is not really unsafe and allowing tickets for this minor "offense" (breaking of the law) is just the city's way of making more money.