Houston Red Light Camera Hot Spots

The best auto wreck lawyers in Houston Texas agree with law enforcement authorities that red light cameras are a good idea. Several accidents per month—and sometimes weekly– are caused by a driver running a red light. When a light has just turned red, drivers frequently they have time to scoot through it before opposing traffic begins to proceed. But they are frequently wrong, and accidents ensue.

Red light cameras that had taken a hiatus in Houston are back on, but not all of the red light cameras are actually issuing tickets for running a red light. Part of the motivation for having red light camera, whether they issue tickets or not, is to deter drivers from running a red light, which will significantly decrease the instances of motor vehicle accidents.

However, the city of Houston also stands to turn a profit as they deter accidents. Several intersections are at the top of the list for generating the most red-light tickets. Between the top five red light camera locations, 50,000 tickets were issued in one year. That averages out to 27-28 tickets per day at each location. That is an awful lot of vehicles running red lights!

The Houston Police Department won’t release the location of every red light camera, for obvious reasons—they want drivers to get in the habit of not running red lights, and assuming that there is a camera at every intersection, and that even if the cameras won’t generate tickets, that doesn’t mean it is okay to run a red light.

The second highest ticket grossing red-light camera in Houston is at the intersection of eastbound Westheimer and the 610 Loop, which garnered 9,904 tickets in 2010. Frequent drivers of this intersection like Sam Feleki have a theory about why this junction produces so many red light violations. “Especially in this area, if you don’t make the light, you know that you are going to wait for another five minutes. Everybody has places to go you know.” Feleki said.

The location with the most red light violations with a whopping 16,008 violations is Bellaire at the Southwest Freeway. The leading reason for this high number of violations is a right turn on red. Most drivers are in a hurry and do not come to a complete stop before proceeding—which earns you a red light violation.

Red light cameras are meant to serve as a deterrent. If the cameras can help prevent accidents and injuries because people want to avoid the financial hit of a ticket, then they are well worth it.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call Houston car accident lawyer Joe Stephens today at 281-623-1701 for a free consultation. You may also fill out a contact form online and a member of The Stephens Law Firm staff will contact you within 24 hours to set up your free consultation. Contact Joe Stephens today to get the advice and help that you need.