Red light cameras are a success

Last month, the Nassau County Traffic Safety Board released a report assessing the effectiveness of the Red Light Cameras in 2010. Nearly 368, 500 Notices of Liability were sent out, which resulted in nearly $15 million in fines paid.

The Red Light Cameras are mounted 50 to 100 feet from the intersections they monitor. When the light turns red, wireless sensors activate. If a car crosses the sensors, the cameras take a series of pictures and a video. Those pictures are sent to the camera’s vendor for review, and are then sent to the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency to determine whether or not they are violations.

“While I hate red light cameras,” said Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, “I have to admit statistically they reduce accidents and save lives.”

If they are determined to be violations, the car’s registrant is mailed a Notice of Liability (NOL), which carry’s a fine equivalent to a parking ticket, but adds no points to the driver’s license. The fine is $50 plus fees. The NOL includes a picture of the car’s license plate as well as a picture of it running the red light. It also tells how to access the video.

The first camera was installed on Aug. 6, 2009 in Oceanside at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Lawson Boulevard. That same day, the camera captured its first violation.

There are three cameras in Oceanside: the one at Atlantic and Lawson, as well as two on Long Beach Road at the intersections of Daly Boulevard and Mott Street. There is also one in Island Park at the Intersection of Long Beach Road and Austin Boulevard.

The three Oceanside cameras had 24, 873 violations issued because of events they captured. The Island Park camera had 5,220 violations issued.

Not only have the cameras helped raise millions of dollars of revenue for the county, but they have also aided in reducing the number of accidents at the intersections they’re placed at. Nearly every intersection the cameras were installed at saw a noticeable decrease in the number of accidents there.

In Island Park, there were 19 accidents at the intersection before the camera was installed. In 2010, there were 15 — a 21 percent reduction. The Daly Boulevard camera actually saw a slight uptick in accidents, from 33 to 34. The real success for the county, though, was that there were no reported fatalities at any of the monitored intersections in 2010.

Nassau County had permission from the state to monitor 50 intersections. The last few cameras are being installed and will be completed by the end of the year. However, the program has been such a success for the county that it is seeking permission from the state to install an additional 50 cameras. The locations for the new cameras have yet to be decided.