BALCONES HEIGHTS, Texas – Balcones Heights police said drivers who fail to come to a full stop at a red light before turning right will not get warnings but instead will receive a civil citation in the mail that will cost the driver $75.
The city recently shared a video showing several close calls caused by red light runners captured by the 12 cameras installed at city intersections.
Chief Darrell Volz said the number of accidents has dropped 70 percent in the decade or so since the city has been operating red light cameras.
“We would love for us to not have red light cameras. That would mean people are obeying the law,” he said.
The cameras have changed driver behavior.
“We noticed 90 percent of people who get citations for red light cameras never get another one, at least not in our town,” Volz said.
Since the program's inception, more than 500,000 events were captured by the cameras, but only about 250,000 citations have been issued.
Volz reminds drivers that pedestrians at crosswalks have the right of way. Pedestrians also need to be aware of drivers who are distracted.