Automated Enforcement

Updated February 2013

Red light running crashes are responsible for approximately 260,000 injuries and 750 fatalities each year. Speed also is a factor in thousands of car crashes each year. Because of limited resources, many municipal governments have turned to automated enforcement to control speed and reduce red light violations without diverting law enforcement resources from other areas. Red light cameras and photo radar give local law enforcement agencies the ability to enforce these traffic laws remotely. Over 400 U.S. communities use red light cameras and over 40 communities in the U.S. use cameras to enforce speed laws. State laws regarding automated enforcement generally establish guidelines for municipal governments. Some state laws limit the use of the cameras to certain cities, while other state laws allow their use statewide. Arkansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Wisconsin have passed state laws prohibiting the use of photo enforcement. Nevada prohibits the use of cameras unless operated by an officer or installed in a law enforcement vehicle or facility. The constitutionality of automated enforcement laws has been challenged in many jurisdictions. All the challenges have been unsuccessful.

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Publications

• New! Traffic Safety Trends: State Legislative Action 2012, February 2013, by Anne Teigen and Douglas Shinkle. See Appendix I: State Policies Regarding Use of Traffic Cameras.
• Traffic Safety and Public Health: State Legislative Action, 2011, No. 36, February 2012, by Anne Teigen and Douglas Shinkle.
• Traffic Safety and Public Health: State Legislative Action, 2010, No. 35,  December 2010, by Melissa Savage and Anne Teigen. 
• Transportation Review: Automated Enforcement, August 2010, by Anne Teigen
• "Traffic Safety and Public Health: State Legislative Action 2009, No. 34, February 2010, by Melissa Savage, Anne Teigen and Nicholas Farber.

Other Resources 

• Automated Enforcement of Red-Light Running & Speeding Laws in Minnesota: Bridging Technology and Public Policy
• NCSL/NHTSA Traffic Safety Legislation Database
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
• GHSA
• The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center