Police aim to light up more traffic violators

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- It’s an inclination nearly every motorist has at one

time or another -- beat that red traffic light.

There are a variety of reasons why drivers speed through an intersection

to get to their final destination. But police say there can be only one

detrimental result from those who run red lights -- a collision causing

injury or possibly death.

Over the past eight months, Newport Beach police have conducted an

experiment of their own. Aided by a hidden indicator behind traffic

signals at high-volume intersections, police have issued 227 citations to

people who have committed a red-light violation.

“The severity of red-light violations was so visible in our community,”

said Newport Beach police Sgt. Mike McDermott. “Some of the worst

accidents we see are caused by someone trying to run a red light. We are

hoping to reduce the number of accidents and violations with these

devices.”

The indicators are a basic light bulb placed on the back of a traffic

signal. The bulb goes on and off at the same time the signal turns red.

Typically, officers will have to follow a motorist through a dangerous

intersection when the light turns red, jeopardizing the safety of the

officer and other motorists. With the device, officers who are stationed

at an intersection can get a different vantage point of the signal and

safely enter traffic to pursue the red-light runner.

The city will spend about $250 to install and maintain each of the 20

indicators placed throughout the city, McDermott said.

The bulk of the profits from the added number of citations -- which start

at $271 and can escalate from there -- goes not to the city but to the

state and courts.

“We feel using the device is a very economical solution,” McDermott said.

“But this is more of a safety issue than about money. That’s the business

we are in.”

Like most cities, Newport Beach has been plagued by red-light accidents.

While no statistics could be provided for last year, most of the

accidents have occurred on busy thoroughfares that have more than four

lanes and higher speed limits.

Jamboree Road is considered one of the city’s more notoriously dangerous

thoroughfares.

One of the city’s most publicized accidents resulted in the death of

35-year-old Tracy Wolonsky, whose vehicle was struck by an oncoming car

at the intersection of Bison Avenue and Jamboree in 1996. The driver of

the other vehicle ran a light that had been red at least four seconds

prior to the collision.

More and more cities have tried to curb the number of traffic accidents

and fatalities caused by red-light violators.

Departments across the county have stepped up patrols and installed video

cameras that capture the violation on tape.

“The indicators gave us another tool,” said Irvine police Lt. Sam

Allevato. “But you can’t have an officer at every intersection 24 hours a

day, seven days a week. A video camera will allow us to do that.”

Some motorists think the devices are a deceptive way of catching drivers

who may have run a red light.

“It should be a case where if an officer is there and someone runs a red

light, then they catch them,” said Brian Hawkins of Newport Beach, who

was surprised to learn about the new devices as he drove along Jamboree

Road. “Now you will have people wondering if that intersection they went

through had one of these things.”

That’s exactly what police are hoping the stepped-up enforcement will do.

“We’ve seen before when we have a high-level presence somewhere, accident

rates go down,” McDermott said. “People trying to drive through a red

light make a conscious decision to do so. We think we can change that

behavior.”

FYI

Five intersections that are heavily patrolled by police and are equipped

with red-light indicators are:

* San Joaquin Hills and Jamboree roads

* Jamboree Road and MacArthur Boulevard

* Jamboree Road and Eastbluff Drive

* Jamboree Road and East Coast Highway

* Dover Drive and East Coast Highway