A recent study by the state highway department supports claims that red-light cameras reduce crashes at intersections, but it’s far from conclusive. While most municipalities saw decreases, some actually experienced increases.

One the other hand, the established programs certainly did seem lucrative for private operators, the municipalities they work for and the state. That’s the problem we’ve always had with these programs: Once started, they could prove to be an indispensable part of the revenue stream, even if their public safety value is found to be lacking.