Red light cameras have been a controversial topic in North Carolina. They have even resulted in lawsuits from people who have been issued tickets. The camera just takes a picture when a vehicle runs a red light, and the traffic ticket is then mailed to the owner of the vehicle, using the license plate to make that connection.
Because of the lawsuits and the controversy, red light cameras essentially disappeared from North Carolina for decades. However, the city of Greensboro has recently decided to reinstitute them in some cases. It will be interesting to see if this leads to more widespread use of red light cameras across the state.
Drivers believe it is a safety hazard
While no one likes to get a traffic ticket, the arguments against red light cameras go a bit deeper than that. For instance, one driver said that he was worried that if someone was about to hit him, he might try to go through a yellow light and then wind up getting a ticket if he is a fraction of a second too late.
A local attorney agreed, saying that drivers were a bit unpredictable when they saw cameras. In some cases, drivers would try to avoid getting a ticket by speeding up, which could just make accidents at the intersection more dangerous or influence people to break the speed limit. On the other side of the equation, there are also drivers who would see the camera and slam on the brakes. Even though they are trying to avoid a ticket, they could wind up causing a rear-end accident with a vehicle behind them.
Liability issues aside, more traffic accidents, especially at higher rates of speed, could be dangerous for drivers.
Fighting traffic tickets
As the use of red light cameras changes in North Carolina, it is important for drivers who find themselves with citations and traffic tickets to know about all of the legal defense options they have and the steps they can take at this time.