One New York County Ends 14-Year Red Light Camera Program After Accident Rate Findings

Just a few short months ago on October 23, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul extended a number of red light camera programs across New York State.

In the press release announcing this move, Hochul stated,

“The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority and we know that red light camera programs are effective in protecting New Yorkers from dangerous drivers.”

Now, one county in New York is ending its red light camera program claiming that it was never about safety after all. Let's unpack that.

Long Island County Ends Red Light Camera Program

Suffolk County on Long Island has had a red light camera program for the past 14 years. According to News12, there were approximately 100 cameras sprinkled around the county.

Over that 14-year span, the program has generated approximately $290 million for the county through fines and fees.

Republican legislature Anthony Piccirillo has been open with his feelings about the program calling it "taxation through citation" and claiming, "It wasn't about saving lives, it was about saving budgets."

So, what are the stats?

According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute (IHS HLDI), they found that red light cameras reduced the number of fatal crashes that resulted from running a red light by 21%. Further, the study found that half of the people who were killed by drivers running red lights were people not in cars like bikers and pedestrians.

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Locally, CBS News reported that according to Suffolk County Data, accidents with injuries decreased by 11.3% as a result of the red light cameras.

Why The Push to End Red Light Cameras on Long Island Then?

In terms of whether red light cameras actually make roads safer, data shows that there is a clear decrease in life-threatening accidents and injuries.

So why are people hating on red light cameras so much?

Well, the data shared by Suffolk County also showed that while accidents resulting in injury decreased by over 10%, there was an 8% increase in overall car accidents. Sources like AAA and the aforementioned IHS HLDI agree that red light cameras can lead to an increase in rear-ending accidents specifically. People try to slow down too fast leading to the fender benders.

Based on this data, it seems silly to claim that red light cameras have nothing to do with safety by attempting to mask the statistic with non-life-threatening rear-end rates. But there is another reason some Long Islanders are so passionate about ending red light cameras.

It's Not Just the Cost of a Ticket

As someone who has personally accrued more red light camera tickets than I'd care to admit just one county over in Nassau County, I admit getting a red light ticket when you swear you didn't run a red light is frustrating. Especially when you see how much you owe.

According to the Suffolk County Government website, a red light camera citation is a base fee of $50. If you put off paying the ticket, you can accrue $25 additional late fees.  However, a lawsuit in 2023 fought against the additional fees that get tacked on to these tickets under the "administrative fees" umbrella.

For Suffolk County, those fees ranged anywhere from an additional $25 to $50. Just one county over in Nassau which also has a long-standing red light camera program, those fees ran as high as an extra $100.

Ultimately, a New York appellate court ruled that these additional fees were illegal.

While Suffolk did away with the administrative fees and now ultimately the red light camera program as a whole, Nassau County has not shared any plans to eliminate their red light camera program.

Is It Bad to Extend Red Light Camera Programs?

New York City, White Plains, Albany, Nassau County, Mount Vernon, and New Rochelle all got their red light camera programs extended back in October.

Based on Suffolk County's case, red light cameras aren't all bad news. They do reduce life-threatening crashes and crashes resulting in injury. The real issue seems to come down to the management of the fees attached to these tickets and of course, avoiding stopping short at a red light.