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Arizona designates March as Red-Light Running Awareness Month, but the message to stop on red is appropriate at all times for all places. American Traffic Solutions (ATS) encourages drivers to obey all traffic laws and to be especially attentive near intersections. Last year, 696 people were killed and an estimated 129,000 were injured in red-light running collisions across the county. These tragedies can be prevented. To spread the message to stop on red through social media channels visit the ATS Facebook page. Drive safely.

 

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More Red-Light Safety Cameras Coming to Bradenton
WWSB-TV ABC 7 (Florida), March 5, 2015

Two more red-light cameras will soon be operating at Bradenton area intersections. Currently, there are eight red-light cameras in use in Manatee County.

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Akron Challenges Ohio’s New Traffic-Camera Law
Plain-Dealer/Cleveland.com (Ohio), March 4, 2015

The city of Akron and its traffic-camera vendor have filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Ohio’s new statewide camera restrictions. The lawsuit, filed in Summit County Common Pleas Court, argues that the new traffic-camera law signed by Gov. John Kasich last December violates the city’s home-rule power. American Traffic Solutions, the city’s vendor, also claims that the law unconstitutionally infringes on its contract with the city. Beacon Journal/AP photo by Tony Dejak.

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Florida Judge Upholds Red-Light Safety Camera Violations
Marketwired, March 3, 2015

On Feb. 26, 2015, Polk County Judge Robert Grode, of Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit, upheld a red-light running violation issued through the city of Lakeland’s red-light safety camera program and ordered the defendant to pay the fine. After a thorough review of the protocols established by Lakeland, the judge determined that the recent City of Hollywood v. Arem decision issued by the state’s Fourth District Court did not apply.

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More Red-Light Cameras on Their Way to Arlington
InsideNova.com (Virginia), March 2, 2015

Arlington police have announced plans to install new cameras that will ticket motorists caught speeding through intersections against a red light. The additions are the first significant expansion of the enforcement effort since 2010. The Virginian Pilot photo by L. Todd Spencer.

 

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North Carolina School Gets Stop-Arm Cameras for Buses
WLOS-TV ABC 13, March 4, 2015

Cameras are being installed on the stop arms of school buses to catch violators in Buncombe County. School officials say on average, 120 drivers disobey bus stop arms daily. Salisbury Post photo by John C. Lakey.

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Dad Fights for ‘Gabby’s Law’ for School Bus Stop Safety
WKMG-TV Channel 6 (Florida), March 3, 2015

Donald Mair says he’s been fighting for tougher school bus laws for five years, ever since his little girl, Gabby, got hit by a car and died shortly after getting off her school bus in DeBary. And he’ll be thinking of her on Wednesday morning, when he’ll try to convince a senate committee to pass Gabby’s Law, filed by Rep. Irv Slosberg.

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Semi-Driver Sentenced for Passing Stopped School Bus, Almost Hitting Girl
Star-Tribune (Minnesota), Feb. 28, 2015

A truck driver who nearly hit a young girl after illegally speeding past a school bus on the shoulder of a central Minnesota highway was sentenced Wednesday to one year in Kandiyohi County jail, two years’ probation and a $1,000 fine. According to the State Patrol, the driver did not stop after narrowly missing a 13-year-old girl waiting for the bus in her driveway. KTTC-TV image.

 

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School Zone Speeding Data Goes to Council
The Spokesman-Review (Washington), March 5, 2015

A couple of times each weekday, yellow lights flash along Spokane’s Northwest Boulevard near Finch Elementary, warning drivers to check their speed and watch for children. They usually go unnoticed. Currently, however, the Spokane City Council is considering installing speed safety cameras to discourage unsafe driving near schools.

Deputies: Child, 11, Hit by Vehicle in Mt. Pleasant
WCSC-TV CBS 5 (South Carolina), March 4, 2015

Charleston County deputies say an 11-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle in Mt. Pleasant while walking to his bus stop Wednesday morning.

Midfield Launches Mobile Speed Safety Camera Program
Marketwired, March 2, 2015

Two new mobile speed vehicles are coming to the city of Midland on March 2 to slow drivers and improve traffic safety. Their arrival expands the city’s use of road safety camera technology that began in 2012 with red-light safety cameras.

 

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1 Dead in 2-Vehicle Crash Near School Bus
Wisconsin Radio Network, March 5, 2015

As students departed from a stopped school bus, an approaching vehicle stopped or nearly stopped when a second approaching vehicle crashed into the rear of the first car, according to Portage County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Nicki Lukas. The 56-year-old woman driving the lead vehicle died in the crash.

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Survey : 10,000 Illegal School Bus Passing Incidents in New York in 1 Day
School Bus Fleet, March 3, 2015

According to a survey conducted by the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, it is estimated that more than 10,000 motorists passed a stopped school bus statewide on Feb. 24. The survey was completed to call attention to the dangers of illegal passing and involved school bus drivers from a sample of 26 school districts across New York state. School Bus Fleet photo by Lois Cordes.

Kaufman County’s School Bus Stop Arm Cameras Go Live
InForney.com (Texas), March 2, 2015

The school bus stop-arm camera program went live on Monday, March 2, in Kaufman County. Drivers who disregard a school bus stop arm could face a $350 fine.

Maryland Lawmakers Push to Increase Fines for Passing School Bus
WTOP-Radio 1500 AM (Maryland), TV Feb. 28, 2015

Lawmakers from Montgomery County went to Annapolis this week to push state delegates to pass a bill to increase the maximum fine for passing a stopped school bus, from $250 to $500, saying it’s important to protect the safety of our children.

 

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American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is pleased to announce the recent renewal of three road safety camera agreements in Colorado and Maryland. The city of Boulder, Colorado, Hyattsville and Bel Air, both of Maryland, all exercised one-year renewal options in their agreements. Boulder became an ATS client in 2011, while Hyattsville and Bel Air signed their original contracts in 2009 with LaserCraft, which ATS acquired in 2010. ATS is particularly honored when clients choose to renew their partnerships, and welcomes the opportunity to assist all of its clients with their road safety camera programs.

 

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Plans Shape Up for ‘Gateway Express’ Toll Roads in Pinellas
The Tampa Tribune (Florida), March 4, 2015

Most of the land has been acquired and contract specifications nearly are ready to go out as the $337-million central Pinellas County expressway moves toward construction. Once completed in about seven years, the toll roads should allow drivers to save nine to 13 minutes in their rush-hour commutes for about 75 cents, according to Florida Department of Transportation estimates. The Tampa Tribune photo by Chris Urso.

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New Expressway Spells Relief for North Tarrant
Star-Telegram (Texas), March 3, 2015

After decades of traffic congestion followed by four years of massive highway work, Northeast Tarrant County residents are finally enjoying the bounty of wide-open lanes. … Now, not only are area residents getting around much better, but businesses are rebounding along the highway frontage road. The 13-mile corridor sports modernized frontage roads and ramps, rebuilt main lanes and two new toll express lanes in each direction. Star-Telegram photo by Max Faulkner.

 

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ATS_RoadSafety ARIZONA: 97% of drivers say running a red light is unacceptable. Find out what other states said at @AAAFTS https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/2014TSCIreport.pdf…

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ATS_RoadSafety California, Texas, Florida and New York — accounted for 43 percent of U.S. pedestrian deaths in 2013. #stoponred http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/pedestrians…

 

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Letter to the Editor: For Safety, Keep Cameras
The Daytona Beach News-Journal (Florida), March 3, 2015

Don’t let cry-baby, red-light running drivers wag the dog. Palm Coast should keep as many lifesaving cameras as possible.

Letter: Stop Red-Light Runners
West Hawaii Today (Hawaii), March 3, 2015

I would like to express my concerns about drivers just blowing through red lights. I’ve seen it happen at pretty much all the major intersections in Kona. It’s not random — it’s consistent. … Maybe some red-light cameras need to be placed at certain intersections and lay some hefty fines on these offenders.

Letter: Senator’s Opposition to Cameras Is Puzzling
Lake Havasu City News-Herald (Arizona), Feb. 27, 2015

I don’t understand Sen. Kelli Ward of Lake Havasu City being against red-light cameras becuse she thinks it is an invasion of privacy. It has been ruled in courts that any act being committed in public is not expected to be private and there should not be an expectation of privacy.

 

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“We have about 200 kids cross Nevada a day. Our crossing guards do complain a lot because it’s difficult to get cars to slow down.”
Meghan Anderson, Principal of Longfellow
The Spokesman-Review (Washington), March 5, 2015

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“The beauty of this system is that the camera is doing all the work. Without the camera, you have to have a driver who can visually check that car going through.Get that license tag when their first priority is obviously the children when they’re exiting the bus.”
John Barbour, William W. Estes Elementary Principal
WLOS-TV ABC 13 (North Carolina), March 4, 2015

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New York
In one day, a survey of 1,288 school bus drivers reported 259 vehicles illegally passing their stopped buses in New York State, indicating more than 10,000 infractions statewide in one day, according to the New York Association for Pupil Transportation. Source: School Bus Fleet, March 3, 2015.

Washington
On a recent day in Spokane, 84 percent of drivers traveling southeast  near Finch Elementary School were clocked at more than 26 mph — 6 mph over the 20 mph speed limit. If a police officer had written a ticket for each of the 438 people who sped that day, the $210 tickets would total at least $90,000. Source: The Spokesman-Review (Washington), March 5, 2015.