Automated Enforcement of Red-Light Running & Speeding Laws in Minnesota: Bridging Technology and Public Policy

Project summary:

Automated enforcement to tag red-light running (RLR) and speeding is common internationally and domestically. Linking automated enforcement technology with effective and politically acceptable public policy presents genuine public safety and public-health challenges. This project reviewed the use of technology for automated enforcement of traffic laws around the world and across the United States, with a focus on Minnesota, and provided suggestions on how Minnesota can use automated enforcement to improve safety, cut deaths and injuries, and reduce the annual cost of property damage due to motor vehicle crashes. Chapters summarize the high cost of crashes; problems and behaviors linked to red-light running and speeding; case studies of automated enforcement of traffic laws; Minneapolis's brief "Stop-on-Red" program; the yellow-light phase controversy; Minnesota litigation ending the Minneapolis program; diverse political cultures and debates across the U.S. concerning automated enforcement; and best practices for implementing automated enforcement legislation and programs.