B.C. boosts number of red-light cameras

British Columbiais installing a flood of new red-light cameras in a bid to reduce the number of collisions at high-risk intersections.

The InsuranceCorp. of B.C., the RCMP and the provincial Ministry of Safetyannounced Friday the number of cameras will rise to 140 from30 by this summer.

The new digital cameras will allow for much faster processing times than the existing film cameras, officials said.

Nicolas Jimenez, road safety director for ICBC, said it currently takes three to five weeks for tickets to be sent to offenders.

"Someone has to climb up a pole, retrieve the film, climb down a pole, send the film to a processing unit, take it to a ticket processing facility, manually attach the photo to a ticket and then mail the ticket," he said. "All of this is [now] going to happen instantly."

With the new digital cameras, drivers running red lights will receive their tickets in as few asfive days.

An average of 270 intersection crashes happen in B.C. every day, and about 40 per cent of all crashes involving injuries and fatalities occur at intersections, ICBC statistics show.

B.C. Solicitor General John van Dongen is hoping the $20-million initiative will save lives and prevent serious injuries.

"Crashes at intersections kill or injure about 53,000 people every year," van Dongen said.

"In all, one million drivers have been involved in an intersection crash since 2003. But red-light cameras have helped to cut the carnage, so we are upgrading our technology and targeting more high-crash intersections to catch, penalize and deter more dangerous drivers."

In a recent ICBC study of the old cameras, crashes involving death or injury declined by 6.4 per cent at intersections where there were there were red-light cameras.

ICBC,the RCMP and the Ministry of Public Safety are currently finalizing the locations where cameras will be installed.

Red-light tickets carry a fine of $167, which is reduced by $25 if the ticket's paid within 30 days.