Texas to ban red light cameras soon

The bill of the House of Representatives proposes to abolish red light camera usage. According to legislators, such cameras distract drivers and provoke vehicle accidents.

Rep. Philip Cortez, D-San Antonio, has filed legislation in the upcoming regular session to cancel ongoing traffic light camera contracts. The state governor’s office also stressed the cost of running video surveillance systems. The report says that placing cameras at one intersection could cost $100,000.

“Studies show they can increase deployment accidents, they create problems,” the report says. “Texas should ban the use of these devices, preventing local authorities from using them.”

Earlier, in 2018, the report listed the factors needed to eliminate camera near traffic light. The study found that while the number of side collisions was reduced, the likelihood of rear-end collisions due to hard braking increased.

At that time, nearly all of the 57 communities across Texas that used red light cameras took advantage of “early exit clauses” in their contracts. However, four locations continued to use them.

The Association of Independent Driver-Owner-Operators supported the decision to phase out these cameras, because “it is worth focusing on more logical approaches to roads and traffic, rather than devices that generate income.”