On any given day in Panama City, you’ll see drivers running red lights.

To put a stop to this problem, around 50 cities in central and south Florida have installed red light traffic cameras like these at dangerous intersections.

Here’s how the cameras work. Once you run the light, the camera snaps your license plate. Some cameras take two shots, one of you, and one of your license plate.

A few weeks later, you receive a ticket in the mail costing you hundreds of dollars. But how big of a problem is red light running?

The latest statistics show between 700 and 900 people are killed by red light runners in the U.S. each year. Half of those deaths were pedestrians.

In 2007, a Bronco t-boned a Panama City police cruiser. The driver of the Bronco ran the red light at Jenks Avenue and 15th Street. The officer was injured in the accident.

Surprisingly, Panama City police aren’t sure if the cameras would work here.

“It’s just another thing to have to manage really. I don’t know what the impact would be. I think we have bigger issues that just red lights,” Capt. Scott Ervin, PCPD’s Field Services Commander said.

But some see this as a good way of cracking down on risk-taking drivers.

“I think it’s a good idea. Everybody makes mistakes. But still when you run a red light I do believe the photographs work. I’ve had it happen in California and it’s been working for a while so I know it’s successful,” Richard Sugars, a resident said.

We polled three Panama City commissioners on the issue. Two were undecided. While Commissioner John Kady told us if he had to vote on the issue today it would be a definite no.

“They’re fraught with all kinds of constitutional issues. I usually see them as a tool for communities to try and raise money. I don’t see how they serve a legitimate purpose,” Kady said.

State lawmakers are currently debating red light camera bills that would make the cameras legal. No word yet on when they plan on taking a vote.

A number of lawsuits have already been filed in cities with the red light cameras saying they are unconstitutional. In those lawsuits, the owners of the cars are getting tickets rather than the actual drivers.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Florida. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.