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There is no upside to running a red light. Just read some of the personal accounts at Red Means Stop Traffic Safety Alliance, or read the commentary below from The Arizona Republic. Drivers who thought otherwise in 2015 took the lives of 38 people in Arizona alone, making our state the fourth highest in the nation for red-light running fatalities. Nationwide, red-light runners caused more than two fatalities a day on average, and caused hundreds of injuries each day. To help prevent this dangerous behavior, Gov. Doug Ducey has issued a special proclamation declaring March to be Red-Light-Running Awareness Month, which calls all Arizonans to “do all they can to stop red light running on our roadways.” Start today by making a pledge to yourself to stop on red, then encourage the drivers in your family to do the same. Your participation could very well save a life. For more information visit Red Means Stop Traffic Safety Alliance and National Coalition for Safer Roads.

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Baby Critically Hurt when Car Collides with School Bus
WKXW-Radio FM 101.5 (New Jersey), March 1. 2017

A 6-month-old infant is recovering from a head injury following a collision between an empty school bus and a car in North Brunswick. … The crash remains under investigation to determine which vehicle ran the traffic signal, but North Brunswick Police Capt. Brian Hoiberg said, “the only way a collision like that could happen is if someone enters the intersection improperly.” (WKXW-Radio FM 101.5/WABC-TV ABC 7 image)


Red-Light Camera Image Helps Convict Suspect in Deadly Shooting
The Bradenton Herald (Florida), Feb. 25, 2017

Red-light camera footage played an unexpected role in court — helping convict a man who gunned down a motorist after a botched drug deal and car chase through the streets of Miami Gardens. This week, the killer was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal shooting on July 20, 2011. (Miami Herald image.)

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Passing School Buses Remains an Issue
Dunkirk Observer (New York), Feb. 27, 2017

According to the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, an alarming number of drivers fail to stop when a school bus comes to a stop and extends its stop sign. Recently, 878 bus drivers from 35 school districts reported 727 illegal passes on Jan. 19, including 88 passes on the passenger side of the bus. When applied to more than 50,000 school buses statewide, the total estimated illegal passing rate would be 41,401 for that day, with 5,011 passes on the passenger side. (Dunkirk Observer image)

State Panel OKs Strict School Bus Passing Enforcement
School Transportation News, Feb. 27, 2017

South Carolina Senate subcommittee recently passed a bill to help enforce the state’s law against illegal passing of a stopped school bus. Passed in February, House bill 3581 opens the registered owner of a vehicle who overtakes a school bus to stricter civil penalties if they are caught on camera. … The bill is scheduled for a hearing with the Senate Transportation Committee on March 2.


Red-Light Camera Measure Advances in Hawaii
Honolulu Star Advertiser, Feb. 25, 2017

Hawaii state lawmakers are cautiously moving ahead with a plan to deploy high-tech cameras for traffic enforcement by photographing the license plates of motorists who run red lights. The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Friday tentatively approved Senate Bill 221 to authorize the red-light enforcement program, but Chairwoman Jill Tokuda said she was amending the bill to delay launch until Jan. 1, 2019. (Honolulu Star Advertiser image)

 

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ATS_RoadSafety @ATS_RoadSafety March in AZ is #RedLightRunning month! #Phoenix & #Tucson among the deadliest cities for RLR. #StopOnRedAZ

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ATS_RoadSafety @ATS_RoadSafety Wake up call for motorists in this community: #SlowDown! Hairdryers used to strike blow against speeders in Hopeman

 

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Virginia Accepts Plan to Extend Express Lanes
WTOP-Radio 103.5 FM (Washington, D.C.), March 1, 2017

Virginia has accepted a proposal to extend the express lanes on Interstate 395, and construction on the project is expected to begin later this year, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Tuesday. The project will extend the toll lanes 8 miles from Edsall Road in Alexandria to the D.C. line. (WTOP-Radio 103.5 FM image by Dave Dildine)


Toll Roads in Oregon? ODOT Is Checking FAST
KOIN-TV Channel 6 (Oregon), Feb. 28, 2017

There could be an Oregon toll road in your future. Oregon transportation officials intend to seek federal approval for interstate tolls. Travis Brouwer, the assistant director at the Oregon Department of Transportation, told KOIN 6 News the agency is serious about landing one of two open spots in the federal program — Fix America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) — that allows states to put tolls on their interstate. See related article at OregonLive.com.  (OregonLive.com image by Sean Meagher // KOIN-TV Channel 6 image)


Official: Cashless Tolling, Other Travel Assets Help Grow Economy
MassLive.com (Massachusetts), Feb. 28, 2017

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito on Tuesday announced that JetBlue would be expanding its service from Worcester Regional Airport to New York with daily flights to JFK International Airport. She said this connection and other transportation assets including the switch to electronic tolling, which for some commuters has reduced their travel time by 30 minutes, are really helping the economy grow in this area of the state. (MassLive.com image)

Cashless Tolls on N.Y. Thruway? Leaders Say Change is Coming
Democrat & Chronicle (New York), Feb. 24, 2017

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York’s top transportation officials agree: The days of classic highway toll booths are numbered. Cuomo and the state Thruway Authority have signaled they plan to move ahead with a cashless form of tolling for the entire 570-mile superhighway system, which remains served by human-staffed toll booths except on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

 

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Commentary: Will Arizona’s Leaders Really Ban Red Light Cameras?
The Arizona Republic, Feb. 27, 2017

I pass through the intersection every day, the one where a young man in a speeding SUV ran a red light and slammed into my son. And I often wonder. Might things have been different had there been a camera there recording red light runners.


Editorial: How to Stop Soaring Roadway Fatalities
The Washington Post (Washington, D.C.), Feb. 26, 2017

U.S. roadways in 2016 yielded another bumper crop of carnage as vehicle fatalities soared 6 percent, following a 7 percent jump in 2015 — the biggest two-year spike since the 1960s. The cost of deaths, injuries and property damage resulting from crashes also leaped by 12 percent in just a year, to some $432 billion, an amount on par with the entire annual economic output of a mid-size European country, such as Norway. … Progress is possible through muscular laws and enforcement, including more speed cameras and tougher rules for seat belts, drunken driving and smartphone use.

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Letter to the Editor: Hate Photo Radar? Then Don’t Speed
The Arizona Republic, March 2, 2017

I have a tip for everyone. There are signs placed strategically throughout our roads. They have a number on them typically ending in 5. If you match that number to the numbers on your speedometer or cruise control, those ole cameras won’t bother you a bit.

Letter: Ban Bill Is a Bad Idea
Illinois Daily Herald, Feb. 26, 2017

State Rep. David McSweeney says the cameras are only there as a revenue source for municipalities and serve no useful purpose. He says intersections are no safer with the cameras in place. I say they are because the cameras make the reckless driver think twice about running a red light. … If the cameras force a driver to actually stop, instead of slamming into a car in the middle of the intersection, then the cameras have done their job.

Letter: Don’t Let Aggressive Drivers Define City
Colorado Springs Gazette, Feb. 24, 2017

Yes, bring back the red-light cameras. Traffic enforcement has taken a back seat to other priorities. This is not the fault of our heroes in blue. … We won’t staff our Police Department to adequate levels, but we continue to deny them the tools to do their jobs by other means. The paranoia by some that these cameras are just another example of “big brother watching” is nothing more than fear mongering. In this age of cellphones, YouTube, and Facebook … everyone is watching!