Mesa Police Department Traffic Section
Enforcement Facts

According to the Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Council (GTSAC), from 2000-2006 Arizona's population increased by 22.9 percent. Arizona's population growth was approximately 360 percent larger than the national average. The increase in population has led to an increase in the number of driver's licenses and the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Traffic crashes are an epidemic in our state and in our country. Across the country, someone loses a loved one in a crash approximately every 12 minutes. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in Arizona, especially among young people. From 2000-2004, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for people in Arizona between the ages of one and 39. The groups most affected were the 15-19 and 20-24 age groups.

From 2002-2005, the annual fatality crash rate in Arizona was approximately 33 percent higher than the national rate. There were 1,271 fatalities and 16,365 serious injury crashes at intersections and 2,194 fatalities and 12,670 serious injury crashes that were speed related.  Maricopa County accounts for 67 percent of all intersection fatalities.

Five countermeasures were recommended by GTSAC. One was to promote the use of automated enforcement devices at intersections to deter red light running and speeding. The City of Mesa has installed 34 red light cameras and 9 intersection speed cameras at 30 intersections throughout the city.

A photo-based traffic enforcement attitude study was conducted in the City of Mesa in 2006. The study gauged the support for a photo safety program and its effectiveness.

• Eight out of ten residents believe red light running is a problem in Mesa.
• Over 85 percent of Mesa residents are in favor of the city's red light camera program.
• Of those surveyed, 3.5 percent received a red light camera citation in the past year. Of those, nearly 86 percent said it made them a more careful driver.

In summary, the City's red light camera program is well supported by Mesa residents.

Automated red light running photo-enforcement systems, also known as red light cameras, can help communities enforce traffic laws and prevent dangerous traffic signal violations. Red light cameras are connected to traffic signals and to sensors buried in or above the pavement at the crosswalk or stop line. The cameras are triggered by vehicles passing over the sensors after the signal has turned red. Two photographs of the violation are taken, one when the vehicle enters the intersection and the other while it is in the intersection. In most localities with the systems, citations are mailed to the registered owner of the car who is able to challenge the citation if he or she was not the driver at the time of the violation.

Some argue that red light cameras violate a motorist's privacy rights, but they are less invasive and less subjective than traditional law enforcement methods. Cameras photograph only the vehicle’s license plate or the face of the driver, depending on a state's law, whereas a ticketing officer can see inside the vehicle. With the cameras, there is no subjectivity or privacy violation because whoever crosses the intersection after the light turns red will receive a citation.

By obtaining a driver license, an individual agrees to abide by certain rules, one of which is to obey traffic signals. The use of cameras is just one way to enforce this law and is a necessary supplement to ongoing police enforcement.