Roughly half of the 50 states have authorized red-light cameras, the study reported, and nearly 700 communities have contracted private companies to install and operate them. Another 92 municipalities have outsourced automated speed-limit enforcement cameras.
Those contracts can also be costly for municipal governments to terminate. When Houston voters elected to end its red-light camera program in 2010, the vendor claimed the city owed $25 million for ending the contract early. In San Bernardino, Calif., when the city decided to pull out of its red-light camera contract in 2011, the company tried to impose a $1.8 million penalty for early termination.
Red-light camera vendors have also obstructed efforts to improve public safety, according to U.S. PIRG. Lengthening the duration of yellow-light signals typically leads to the number of accidents, and violations, but in the case of four California cities, their contracts include financial penalties if city engineers attempt to extend the yellow signal. Other contracts require municipal police to meet a certain quota of tickets, which forces officers to issue more than they otherwise might, the report said.