Why install red light cameras? | How the system works
Camera locations

Why install red light cameras?

The City of Baton Rouge is committed to the safety of the community and dedicated to reducing preventable collisions at signalized intersections. Every year, needless crashes occur in Baton Rouge due to motorists that run red lights. The Stop Red Light Running Program reports that red light camera safety programs in other cities have resulted in crash reductions between 40 and 90 percent.

The time saved by running a red light – only seconds.
Red light running is the leading cause of urban crashes according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In 2006, almost 900 people were killed and an estimated 144,000 were injured in crashes that involved red light running.

Police can’t be at an intersection 24/7.
The City of Baton Rouge simply does not have enough officers to set up conventional police enforcement at each intersection and enforce red light running violations. In addition to manpower limitations, traditional enforcement endangers the lives of officers as well as innocent motorists and pedestrians due to the fact that the officer typically follows a violating vehicle through the red light to stop it.

We want to change driver behavior.
The ultimate goal of the red light camera safety program is to change driver behavior. Every driver makes a decision when approaching an intersection where the light ahs just turned red. Impatient drivers often choose to continue through the intersection, ignoring the law and putting lives at risk. A 2005 review of red light camera studies around the world concluded that cameras reduce red light violations by 40–50 percent and reduce injury crashes by 25-30 percent.

How the system works

Traffic signals are timed by the city’s traffic engineers through careful study of each individual intersection using national recognized procedures.

Red light safety cameras monitor intersection approaches through advanced detection and imaging technology.

The safety cameras only photograph a vehicle if it enters the intersection after the light has turned red. A second photograph is taken as the vehicle progresses through the intersection.

Vehicles that enter an intersection on a yellow light are not photographed even if they are still in the intersection when the light changes to red. The technology is designed to record motorists as they intentionally enter an intersection after the signal turns red.

The camera photographs the vehicle from the rear – not the driver. The camera records the date, time, lane number, location and speed of the vehicle.

This information is included on the notice of violation and is then evaluated by sworn members of the Police Department to verify that a violation has occurred and to determine whether a notice of violation should be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.

Camera Locations

You can click the intersections below for a detailed description and image of the location of the cameras.

The following intersection will have fully operational red light running cameras.

Sherwood Forest @ Coursey Boulevard

The following intersections are scheduled to have cameras installed and fully operational on Friday, March 14th.

Essen Lane @ I-10 Eastbound Off-ramp

College Drive @ I-10 Eastbound Off-ramp

Airline Highway @ Old Hammond Highway

LA Highway 19 @ Blount Road