Prince George's County Traffic Cams Capture Right on Red

Police will install more traffic cameras around Prince George’s County in the coming months using an updated technology that records a 12-second video of drivers who violate traffic regulations.

The old traffic cameras could only detect drivers running a red light, but the new video cameras also catch drivers who fail to stop for a red signal prior to making a right hand turn.

State traffic law 21-202 mandates that drivers who face a red signal must bring their vehicles to a full stop at the stop line or prior to the crosswalk, after which they may cautiously make a right-hand turn, provided there is no sign prohibiting the action.

Police believe tracking reckless right-hand turns will keep pedestrians and cyclists safe at major intersections.

“Today, were able to focus on those dangerous drivers who do not stop before turning right at a steady red traffic signal which is very dangerous to pedestrians, pedicyclist, and other moving motor vehicles,” Capt. Dan Sheffield, commander of the Automated Enforcement Division with the Prince George’s County Police Department told Patch.

The new technology also allows police to accurately analyze the situational context of each potential traffic violation that the cameras record. Should police approve a violation, they will mail drivers a citation with a photo of the offense, as well as a link to review the video of their violation online.

Prince George’s County installed six of these video traffic cameras this month, and activated the newest camera on Sheriff Road on Nov. 14. They can be found in the following intersections:

• Allentown Road and Brinkley Road
• Allentown Road and Temple Hill Road
• Marlboro Pike and Brooks Drive
• Marlboro Pike and Donnell Drive
• Iverson Street and 23rd Avenue
• Sheriff Road and Village Green Drive

So far, the recording system has caught its highest number of traffic violations at the intersection of Marlboro Pike and according to data from the police department, the intersection averages 64 citations each day.

WNEW recently reported that similar traffic cameras installed in Montgomery County nearly doubled the amount of tickets issued between 2012 and 2013, and Prince George’s County officials plan to update each of the county’s 23 current traffic cameras with the new technology.

Prince George’s County Police have used red light photo enforcement since 1998. Drivers incur a $75 fine for each traffic violation detected and approved by photo enforcement, but they will not receive points on their driving record, nor can insurance companies consider these violations when calculating insurance rates.

Patch file photo

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