It’s no fun getting a ticket in the mail after a camera catches you running a red light.
But most drivers apparently think it’s worth it.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released the results of a new public opinion survey on Thursday.
It found the majority of drivers in almost all of the 14 cities surveyed were in favor of photo enforcement. D.C. drivers showed the strongest support with 78 percent favoring red-light cameras.
“Most drivers don’t buy the argument that it’s somehow wrong to enforce the law just because you’re using a camera to do it,” said Anne McCartt, the Institute’s senior vice president for research. “They understand that this technology is preventing crashes in their cities.”
However, the survey found less support for the use of cameras to crack down on turn-right-on-red violators.
The study is a follow-up to another institute survey released earlier this year that showed that red-light cameras have reduced the rate of fatal red-light running crashes by 24 percent in the same 14 cities.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
The strong public support confirms that red-light camera opponents, while vocal and often influential, are a minority, the institute said.
