Bakersfield has red light cameras at eight intersections around town. Click the icons on the map to see how many people have been caught by the cameras and how many accidents have happened at each intersection.
Red Light Cameras
Red light cameras catch thousands
| 03/06/07 13:56:02
Last Updated: 03/06/07 11:18:54
With homicides, assaults and deadly accidents, Bakersfield police officers can’t sit at an intersection all day to catch motorists running red lights.
Cameras do it for them.At eight intersections in the city, red light runners can expect to be photographed and receive a citation that will set them back a couple hundred dollars. The cameras, installed at busy intersections, are there to prevent serious accidents and make people comply with traffic law, Bakersfield police Detective Greg Terry said.“As the public becomes aware of (the cameras), they’re encouraged to drive more safely,” Terry said.At most intersections, the number of citations has decreased, according to BPD statistics. For example, at Chester Avenue and Brundage Lane the number of violators has decreased from 664 in 2003 to 131 in 2006.Accidents have increased at half of the intersections since the cameras were installed, a phenomenon Terry attributed to people slamming on their brakes at a red or yellow light and getting hit from behind. Terry said the majority of the accidents are fender-benders with minor or no injuries, as compared to the more serious accidents that occurred before the cameras were put in.“There aren’t as many serious injuries,” Terry said. Pick up Wednesday’s Californian for a full report on red light cameras, complete with video and a map of the cameras.