Crime & Safety

Crashed: Red-Light Camera Company Posts Florissant Crash Videos

ATS has posted a number of car-crash videos from around the area to get drivers thinking about summer driving safety.

American Traffic Solutions, the company that operates the red-light cameras throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, wants to get drivers thinking about safety for the summer months.

ATS recently released a video on Youtube showcasing a number of red-light crashes throughout the St. Louis, including ones in North County area. The video showcases a number of crashes in the Florissant area at the intersection of Lindbergh Boulevard and Trotter Way.  

The red-light cameras have been a point of contention in recent years with residents and officials with many saying the lights don’t improve safety.

In 2011, the Missouri Department of Transportation released findings that the cameras do reduce the risk of accidents at intersections where they are placed. That same year, ATS along with a number of municipalities were named in a lawsuit regarding the red-light cameras, but it was dismissed a year later.

Patch users have sounded off on the red-light cameras on both sides. Florissant resident Elizabeth O’Fallon wrote on a previous article, “I'm not a huge fan of red light cameras, but I would prefer to see the cameras being used as they are in the City of Wentzville. Wentzville takes photos of the driver in the car so that there is no doubt about who is driving when the ticket is issued. I don't feel that simply taking the photo of the license plate is sufficient enough.”

Others feel differently about the lights.

normalicy writes, “Well, I've been rear ended personally because of the cameras (slammed on my brakes because I wasn't sure the yellow light would last long enough). Sure the person behind me should have paid attention, but on the other hand I could have been killed from how far into the intersection I was pushed (also my back sure was in pain for quite a while after being hit). Seems a large price to pay compared to going through a just turned red light. I hadn't been in an accident for an incredibly long time till these lights went up. Now it seems I'm either slamming on my brakes to avoid rear-ending someone who slammed on their brakes or am afraid of being rear-ended myself (it's now a natural reaction for me to eyeball my rear-view when braking at the camera lights). Am I saying that people should be able to do whatever they want on the roads... heck no. I just think that the lights are too black & white. Everyone has had that experience where they weren't sure if they should stop or keep going. Everyone has had that experience where they just plain didn't notice something. That's life. Why all the sudden are we expected to be robots? Ignoring the safety of it all, it's hard to ignore the fact that this is really all about money. Wouldn't you think that the public would be satisfied with their government if they were taxed over being penalized? All I know is the person who can abolish those lights will be the one who gets votes.”


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