A majority of red light runners ARE paying their tickets:
Nearly two-thirds of drivers cited for running red lights during the first three months of the city’s camera-monitoring program have paid the $75 fine, according to new Houston Police Department data.
The figure is higher — and police say more precise — than previous reports because it includes more payments delayed until near or after a 45-day deadline.
“It’s a more accurate reflection,” said Sgt. Michael Muench, who oversees the program.
What’s funny about the story is that when the Chronicle previously reported payment rates, it had to do so through an open-records request. Apparently the Chron‘s last story lit a fire under MayorWhiteChiefHurtt and HPD released the updated figures all on their own:
Previous data, obtained by the Houston Chronicle through an open-records request, showed about a quarter of violators paid through the end of December. Police predicted then that the final percentage would be higher.
The Houston Police Department released the new data, which adds payments made in January, after a Chronicle story reported the less favorable statistics.
More than 70 percent of violators caught on tape in September and October, the first two months of the program, had paid the fine by the end of January, according to HPD.
And how much money has the city earned?
Statistics for September and October, which police consider the most complete because those violators have had the longest time to pay, show almost 2,000 violators paid the $75 ticket. That brought nearly $150,000 to the city.
The city paid about $90,000 of that to American Traffic Solutions Inc., which operates the system, police spokesman John Cannon said.
Jim Tuton, that company’s CEO, has said he expected the collection rate to be as high as 90 percent, based on collections in other cities.
And dismissals?
About 40 percent of contested tickets were dismissed. The reasons varied, Muench said, but included instances in which partly obscured license plates were photographed and the citation was mailed to the wrong vehicle owner.
There’s another statistic I’d like to see: How many of the tickets issued were for people who entered the intersection in the first second after the light turned red? Studies show that about 80% of red light runners do so in the first second. That tells us that adding a second or two of yellow would seriously decrease red light running, as other studies have proved. And historically, cities have decreased yellow light times, creating yellow light dilemma zones where motorists have a split second to decide whether or not to stop.
But Mayor White doesn’t want yellow light times increased, because he says that would reduce mobility. But if the primary concern is safety (as he keeps saying), then safety should trump mobility.
RELATED: Grits for Breakfast red light camera archives (Scott Henson)
