WEEKLYPRESS.COM · UCREVIEW.COM · AUGUST 10 · 2011


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Schoch: Cameras would only be for safety, not revenue H


By Eric Boehm PA Independent


ARRISBURG —Try- ing to beat that yel- low light through


the intersection? Don’t for- get to smile for the camera. Red light cameras, used in Philadelphia since 2005, could be legal throughout Pennsylvania, if the Gen- eral Assembly acts upon a recommendation made by Gov. Tom Corbett’s Trans- portation Funding Advi- sory Commission. The 30- member commission sub- mitted a complete report to Corbett on Monday, includ- ing recommendations for generating more than $2.7 billion in new, recurring revenue during the next five years. The potential revenue from red light cameras are not included in the $2.7 billion forecast by the report’s rec- ommendations. Barry Schoch, state Secre- tary of Transportation and commission chairman, said the cameras are a “safety modernization.” “We want to have the en- abling legislation to ex-


pand it statewide, so (the Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Transportation or) PennDOT can take a look at the high use areas where the cameras would be most effective,” he said. Schoch said P e n n D O T would consult with local govern- ment before deciding where to place the red light camer-


as.


H owe v e r , critics of red light cameras say the systems are more about making money than keeping drivers safe, and argue


yellow lights by as little as half a second can make in- tersections safer.”


right to due process, since drivers cannot cross-exam- ine a camera if they chal- lenge the ticket in court. The Philadelphia cameras photograph the vehicle’s l i c e n s e plate, and a ticket is sent to the regis- tered owner, regardless of whom was driv-


ing the vehicle at the time of the infraction.


The com- mission sug- gested that the General As- sembly pass “en- abling legislation,”


t h a t


better ways exist to deal with high-risk intersections. “The simplest change is to length- en the yellow light sig- nal at the intersection,” said Gary Biller, executive director of the National Motorists Association, which defends the rights of drivers. “There are studies that show increasing the


a n


impor t ant first step. The Federal H i g h w a y Admini s t ra- tion, or FHWA, would have to sign off the location


of the cameras.


Schoch said PennDOT would use the cameras


B i l l e r said red


light cameras also erode the constitutionally guaranteed


Te Top Tings You Don’t Know About Your Car Insurance


(NAPSA) A


mericans have gone to sleep dreaming of cars ever since the


first Model T was rolled off the assembly line in 1908. Some dreamt of the cool bul- let nose on the 1950 Stude- baker Commander Convert- ible. Some dreamt of classic muscle cars like the 1969 Ford Mustang “Boss 429.” When dreamers become drivers, however, they’d bet- ter be darn sure they comply with state laws mandating that they carry auto insur- ance. Most states won’t even issue you a license unless you’re covered for liability against injuries and property damage done to others. If it’s been too long since you checked your auto insurance policy, you may be surprised by what you may or may not be covered against. Read on: •Remember This Word: Depreciation Picture this scenario you (probably) wouldn’t wish on even your worst enemy: Only a few short weeks have gone by since you proudly


drove your brand-new car off the lot, when suddenly- wham!-it’s totaled in an ac- cident. If you’re like a stunning 52 percent of those questioned for an “Insurance Literacy” survey conducted recently by Zogby International for MetLife Auto & Home, you’ve been operating under the assumption that you’re automatically covered for the car’s full replacement cost. Uh, not necessarily. Most insurers subtract for depreciation-and you’d be surprised how much “value” disappears once you drive off the lot. Only a select few like MetLife Auto & Home will make you whole during a policy’s first year and/or 15,000 miles. •It’s Possible To Be “Up- side Down” on a Totaled Vehicle The past few years have made us all more familiar with this term, as applied to home mortgages, than we ever wanted to be. How- ever, the same principle ap- plies to auto loans. Say you still owe $15,000 on your


loan. If you’re in an accident and your car ends up being declared a total loss but is still valued below the loan payment, guess what: Un- less you had the foresight to purchase “gap” insurance, you’re still responsible for repaying the difference on your loan. •Leasing Isn’t a Free Pass Ah, but you say you don’t actually own your car. Nice try, but even if the vehicle you demolished (see above) was leased, you’d also need to have purchased gap in- surance to have your insurer cover replacing it and paying off your lease obligation. •The Rental Car Conun- drum Talk about probably wast- ing an average of $9 to $19 a day. Even though most auto insurance policies and credit cards extend (varying) rental insurance benefits to cus- tomers, 28 percent of those surveyed said they never- theless signed up for the in- surance offered by rental car companies when not driving their own cars.


only in the interest of safe- ty, not revenue. “The issue is motorist safe- ty and pedestrian safety,”


Schoch said. “There is a proven relationship be- tween automated red light enforcement and a reduc- tion in violations.” State Rep. Rick Geist, R- Blair, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said expanding the use of red light cameras was a “non-starter” for the Legislature and questioned why the issue was even in- cluded in a report focused on generating more rev- enue for transportation. “The moment that you even allude to the idea that red light cameras are for rev- enue, you’ve defeated the purpose of the cameras,” Geist said. He stressed that enforce- ment of red light violations should not be a question of revenue, even though many cities see the cameras as a way to increase funds. The Pennsylvania State Po- lice do not have an official position on the use of red light cameras and are study- ing the issue, said Anthony Manetta, a spokesman for the state police. According to AAA, which represents the interests of


drivers, law enforcement officers are the most effec- tive way to curtail red light running, but the organi- zation supports red light cameras to increase safety, not to generate revenue. But a 2008 study by the In- surance Institute for High- way Safety, a national non- profit educational organiza- tion dedicated to reducing vehicle crashes, concluded that red light cameras had a positive impact on driver safety. In the past four years, the number of communities with red light cameras has increased from about 150 to more than 500, said Biller. There are about 30,000 in- corporated communities in the country. According to FHWA, in the United States, red light cameras are used in more than 540 communities. But some cities, including Los Angeles, have removed the cameras, because they have not produced enough revenue to offset the cost of operating them, as they are run by a private company.


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