Illinois has been hard hit by red-light cameras; some have called Chicago "America's red-light camera capital." Particularly galling is the use of cameras to support tickets for illegal right turns on red. These "violations" are committed by almost every driver, and in most cases create virtually no safety risk, so it is apparent that the tickets are issued only to generate revenue.

The National Motorists Association opposes red-light cameras categorically (see our objections here), and would therefore like to see them prohibited outright. But a bill in Illinois prohibiting their use for right turns on red would reduce the cameras' "productivity" and therefore might pave the way for an eventual ban.

Illinois Senate Bill 0026, sponsored by Sen. Dan Duffy - Martin A. Sandoval, Chris Lauzen, Thomas Johnson, Kwame Raoul, Wm. Sam McCann and Matt Murphy, would provide that "a county or municipality may not use an automated traffic law enforcement system to provide recorded images of a motor vehicle for the purpose of issuing violations to persons driving a motor vehicle who enter an intersection to turn right against a red signal indication" (effective immediately).

If you would like to see this limitation placed on red-light cameras in Illinois, we urge you to contact your senator and let them know that you support SB0026.

While you're at it, tell them you want red-light cameras banned outright...

A new law excuses defendants caught on camera making rolling right turns if they show they were "careful and prudent," in cities that use red-light cameras. (This according to a December 15th SunSentinel.com story.)

Among those cities are Hallandale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Palm Springs and West Palm Beach.

Also, infractions will now be handled by judges rather than city-hired magistrates.

The old system was a "true kangaroo court,'' said attorney Bret Lusskin, of the Ticket Cricket in Hallandale Beach. "Because the [magistrate] judge was on the city's payroll, there was absolutely no justice.''

Attorneys say they are winning more cases now because of the "careful and prudent" clause and because they are going to a court outside the city's realm.

People who wish to defend these tickets on their own would do well to download the NMA's EBook, "Fight That Ticket," free to members, and available on our website in the Members Only Section.

Right Turn On Red

When Right-Turn-On-Red (RTOR) was adopted across the country, in response to an energy crisis -- because it would save fuel -- it had its critics, most notably the anti-destination league led by the insurance industry.

The claim was that such a radical law would increase accidents. Later they proved that there indeed was an increase in right turn accidents at controlled intersection. However, they left out the part about the major reduction in rear-end collisions far exceeding the minor increase in right turn accidents.

Thereafter the issue remained quiet and millions of man-hours and millions of gallons of fuel have been saved by motorists, and overall accident numbers went down.

The RTOR laws were fairly uniform in that they required a vehicle operator to come to a complete stop, yield to cross traffic and pedestrians, and only then proceed with the right turn. In practice, if cross traffic and pedestrians are not present, drivers slow to a near stop and then proceed with their turn. The spirit, if not the letter, of the law is obeyed.

The "stop first" requirement is seldom enforced and no one is disadvantaged in the process. This is no secret. Cross traffic and pedestrians still have the right-of-way and RTOR vehicles yield to these entities.

Never to miss an opportunity to rip off motorists, the ticket camera companies have seized the moment to profit from the difference between how RTOR is actually practiced and the actual law. In some cities, where longer yellow lights have been forced into place, RTOR tickets are being used to pick up the revenue slack. We can shut this exploitation down.

Find the contact information for your specific legislators and write them a simple letter that the RTOR law be amended, from requiring a complete stop, to requiring that drivers making a RTOR must yield to all other traffic and pedestrians.

Explain that this will save time, save fuel, further reduce rear-end collisions, and bring the law into sync with normal and safe driver behavior, as it exits now. If your legislator agrees to your request, let us know and the NMA will certainly get solidly behind the effort.