Only in America?

I recently heard on NPR a story about red light cameras that are being used in Texas. These are the cameras installed in street lights that detect and photograph cars that run red lights at intersections. Apparently, in larger cities like Dallas and Houston, running red lights had become a fairly significant problem and quite a few accidents had occurred because of it. The cameras have been at work for about a year and their success, by all accounts, has been remarkable. That is why the city councils and mayors in those areas have just agreed with local officials to remove many of these red light cameras. Some argue that the cameras have caused more accidents due to more rear-end collisions, but studies are showing that this position is very debatable at best. The real issue is that because so many motorists are aware of the cameras and very concerned about being automatically ticketed, there are relatively very few incidents of running red lights and the system is not generating enough revenue in fines to pay for itself. As with most things involving government programs, it is all about revenue. The system works to encourage people to abide by the laws of the land and, as a result, makes the world a little safer, so let's get rid of it. The irony of the law.

Here is a link to a short summary of the issue from a news station in Houston: http://www.click2houston.com/investigates/15969702/detail.html