WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington has extended its contract for mounted red-light cameras—those devices that flash-photograph vehicles as they blow through stoplights—at an estimated cost of $480,000.
The Wilmington City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a one-year extension to the deal with American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz., for the SafeLight program that Mayor Bill Saffo praised as a lifesaver.
The cameras, mounted in 2000, have reduced red-light-running crashes by nearly 60 percent at the tight intersection of Market and 23rd streets and by more than 63 percent at the heavily commercial Market Street and New Centre Drive intersection, according to city officials.
SafeLight cameras at 13 intersections around the city automatically photograph the license plates of vehicles that roll through red lights. The offending vehicle’s speed and time of violation are also recorded, and the owner receives by mail a $50 citation.
Not only is the technology able to reduce red-light violations, it can save money, says the Federal Highway Administration (FHA). “Economic analysis showed that red-light cameras saved society $39,000 to $50,000 annually at each intersection where they are installed,” according to FHA. Those figures account for hospital bills, vehicle damage, insurance and “value of lost quality of life” among other costs.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a nonprofit research organization, said a study conducted at Fairfax, Va., before the use of red-light cameras in that city, found that on average a motorist would run a red light every 20 minutes at each of the five intersections observed.
According to IIHS, 556 communities nationwide use red-light cameras. In North Carolina, only Wilmington, Raleigh and Knightdale currently employ them. Cary used them until August 18; its town council voted earlier in the month to halt the program, partly because too much staff time went into processing citations, handling affidavits of non-responsibility, and fielding complaints from residents.
Though red-light-running is far less frequent at busy Wilmington intersections thanks to the cameras’ presence, the violations do continue. The city does, however, make the most of the occasion. Mayor Saffo said that, per a legislative requirement, 90 percent of the money collected from the local citations goes to New Hanover County Schools. Last year alone, the school district received close to $790,000, according to the city.
“This is a win-win situation,” Saffo said. “We saved lives at those intersections, we reduced accidents at those intersections, and we also give the money to our school system. We’re doing our part as a community and as a city.”
Here is a map of the camera locations in Wilmington.
