For red-light cameras, weigh abuse vs. benefits: #tellusatoday

The former CEO of a red-light camera company recently pleaded guilty in a political corruption scam that involved politicians backing photo enforcement in return for cash. Letter to the editor:

Richard Diamond's column on red-light safety cameras was a classic bait-and-switch. His frail argument goes something like this: A few bad actors somehow undermine the red-light safety technology itself ("Marco Rubio's right: Red-light cameras are a scam: Column").

What Diamond didn't do is address the facts, or our collective reality:

•Nearly 9,000 deaths in the U.S. were caused by red-light runners from 2000 to 2009.

•1 in 3 drivers continue to run red lights and take risks.

•Red-light running is the leading cause of crashes in urban areas.

•Red-light safety cameras led to a 39% decrease in red-light running, right-angle crashes on business and primary roads, according to a 2012 study by the Texas Transportation Institute.

Perhaps I'd have more sympathy for Diamond's arguments if a red-light runner in Florida hadn't killed my husband, Mark, just over a decade ago. My daughter Madisyn Grace was born just weeks after this avoidable tragedy, entering this world with no chance to meet her father.

Thankfully, Sen. Marco Rubio's red-light running didn't result in anything more than a ticket. For a father with four young children of his own, that's a small price to pay.

Melissa Wandall, president, National Coalition for Safer Roads; Bradenton, Fla.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

I supported red-light cameras when they were introduced. I was tired of cars running red lights. But the camera scams are worse. Unfortunately, governments are addicted to revenue from them, so it will be difficult to get the cameras removed.

— Christopher Jay Campbell

And if for some governments it is a money-making thing, who cares? The devices are catching law-breakers. Not all money grabs are bad. Plus, cameras can free up officers to take care of other things.

— Mike Connell

We need to roll back the surveillance state. Stop trying to use police and traffic violations as money raisers.

— Mathew Andresen

We asked our followers what they thought about red-light cameras. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

Red-light cameras are the biggest widespread scam I have seen, particularly in Florida.

— @dshaw4568

Based on experience with red-light cameras in Chicago, there are flaws. It's best to invest money in fighting big-city crime.

— @PlumbbobGreen

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion and #tellusatoday on Twitter.