Auto Club, CSAA Sponsor Legislation to Clean up Red Light Camera Programs; Assembly Member Jenny Oropeza Introduces AB 1022 as Red Light Camera Reform Bill.

News Editors/Business Editors/Automotive Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 9, 2003

Red light cameras at problem intersections are an effective traffic safety tool that need to be better managed to ensure that they focus on safety, not profit, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

To enact needed reforms, the Auto Club and California State Automobile Association are co-sponsoring AB 1022, the Red Light Camera Reform bill which has been introduced by Assembly Member Jenny Oropeza, D-Carson.

Based on a 2002 State Auditor report that recommended tighter control over red light camera programs, AB 1022 has been created to restore public trust by ensuring that the programs focus on safety and stipulate that oversight of the programs cannot be delegated to vendors that provide the red light camera service. The bill is expected to be heard in the Assembly Transportation Committee meeting on Monday, April 21.

"The Auto Club agrees with the State Auditor's findings that red light cameras are effectively reducing red light crashes," said Alice Bisno, Auto Club government affairs vice president. "AB 1022 significantly strengthens oversight and management of red light camera programs. We want to eliminate the perception that they are being run by vendors for profit rather than being managed by cities for safety."

A key reform prohibits vendors from charging for services on a per-ticket basis. While the auditor's report noted that most cities studied did not show significant profits from the programs, a per-ticket fee arrangement may lead to the public perception that the vendors are motivated only by profit.

"I am particularly troubled by programs that base contractor payments on the number of tickets issued," said Oropeza. "It has sparked allegations of intersection selection based on traffic volume, hair-triggers on cameras and quick yellow lights. This is a safety issue and I want to make sure no undue motivation exists on the part of vendors to concentrate purely on profit."

"Further, because citations are issued based on photo evidence, violations should be carefully screened, expeditiously handled and due process protections -- such as the requirement for a photograph of the driver, must never be compromised," added Bisno.

The bill also specifies that certain governmental functions cannot be delegated to red light camera vendors. AB 1022 provides that a government entity must maintain control of the following:

-- Establishing uniform guidelines for screening and issuing

citations and for the storage of confidential information and

establishing procedures to ensure compliance with guidelines.

-- Establishing intersection selection guidelines based on

traffic safety need -- (crash records, for example)

not

merely because of high traffic volume. (Selecting on traffic

volume alone might suggest a revenue motivation.)

-- Assuring that only those citations that have been reviewed and

approved by law enforcement are mailed to violators.

-- Overseeing the establishment of, or change of, signal light

timing.

-- Regularly inspecting and maintaining warning signs.

"Red light cameras contributed to a 10% decrease in accidents caused by motorists running red lights in jurisdictions with cameras compared to jurisdictions without cameras," noted Oropeza. "Clearly, the program has merit. We want to ensure that the public believes it too.

"Not all intersections are suited for red light camera," added Bisno. "Some intersections might be better suited to an improvement in the physical environment or a change to the engineering parameters, and this should be thoroughly reviewed."

The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by roadside assistance, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs.

Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.