North Miami Police Praise Red Light Cams

Cops say crashes down 60 percent thanks to cameras

South Florida drivers aren't thrilled with the red light cameras that seem to be popping up everywhere recently, but the North Miami Police Department says all drivers should love them as much as they do.

Neil Cuevas, with the North Miami Police, can't say enough good things about what the red light cameras are doing, and he thinks they should be everywhere. He says the accidents due to red light runners are down a whopping amount.

"It's reduced our traffic accidents by 60 percent and therefore it has also reduced fatalities," Cuevas said.

North Miami Police say just the threat of being caught by the cameras has had a huge affect. The city has placed 16 cameras at mostly busy intersections, and while some drivers hate them, traffic experts swear by them.

With the cameras rolling 24 hours a day, North Miami gives out about 8,000 tickets a month to red light runners. The fine is about $160, but those who choose to fight the tickets are having some success, with about 25 percent of the tickets getting tossed out.

In other South Florida cities like Pembroke Pines, it's costing more to defend the red light camera citations in court than the city is collecting in fines.

But Cuevas said the red light camera program is giving his department an added bonus.

"It does afford us the opportunity to maybe pay attention to something else other than traffic," he said.

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