The goal of the Red Light Camera Enforcement Program is to improve driver and pedestrian safety by reducing the number of right angle collisions at intersections. The Red Light Program is expected to change driver behaviour and reduce the number and severity of these collisions across York Region.
Q. What is red light running?
A. It is a violation that occurs when a driver enters an intersection after the signal light has turned red.
Q. What if I am making a left turn and the light turns red when my vehicle is still in the intersection?
A. Drivers already at an intersection when the signal changes to red (when waiting to turn, for example) are not considered red light runners.
Q. Do red light cameras replace police officers at intersections?
A. No. Red light cameras do not replace police officers. The red light cameras are being used to help police efforts in discouraging motorists from running red lights. Police enforcement is a substantial component of the program.
Q. Do the cameras photograph every vehicle passing through an intersection?
A. The cameras are set to photograph vehicles that enter an intersection after the light has turned red. Vehicles that enter yellow and are within the intersection when the light changes to red, are not photographed. The program photographs vehicles that enter an intersection only after the signal has turned red.
Q. Who reviews the photographs before motorists are ticketed?
A. Trained officers review every picture to verify information and ensure that the vehicle is in violation. Tickets are mailed to vehicle owners only in cases where it is clear that the vehicle ran the red light.
Q. Who receives a ticket for running a red light detected by a camera system?
A. The registered license plate holder receives the ticket, regardless of who was driving the vehicle.
Q. What is the penalty for running a red light based on evidence obtained by a camera system?
A. As of January 1, 2010 the set fine for running a red light detected by a camera system was increased to $260 plus a $60 victim surcharge and a $5 court cost. The total payable is now $325. Demerit points are not issued with violations detected by the red light camera system.
Q. What is the penalty for running a red light if caught by a police officer?
A. The set fine for running a red light when caught by a police officer is $325. Failure to stop for a red light where a police officer issues a ticket results in three demerit points.
Q. Where do the fines go?
A. $265 goes to York Region and the Province of Ontario collects $60 as a Victim Fine Surcharge.
Q. Do red light cameras violate privacy?
A. In consultation with the Privacy Commissioner, every attempt has been made to minimize capturing members of the public in the photos. In the event that members of the public are inadvertently captured on film, it will not be possible to identity them from the photos included on the tickets.
Q. What is the cost of a red light camera?
A. A red light camera system costs approximately $100,000.
Q. Who supplies the cameras? How big are the cameras? What is their location relative to the intersection?
A. The system supplier is Traffipax. The camera is an industrial digital camera, manufactured for unattended operation in an outdoor environment. The cameras are housed in a one half metre by one half metre by one half metre enclosure. The cameras are mounted on a pole, approximately 20 metres in advance of the intersection and are mounted approximately 3.6 metres above the ground.
Q. What other countries use red light cameras?
A. Photographic detection devices are used extensively in many other countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Cameras are also used in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.
Safeway Insurance and Financial Services is a division of Garvin-Mark Insurance Brokers Ltd.
© 2024 Safeway Insurance. All rights reserved. Website by Candybox.
Comments are closed