Travel Safely in Our Community
In 2004 Gulf Breeze Police Chief, Peter Paulding, created the Gulf Breeze Traffic Safety Task Force due to increasing traffic crashes on Hwy 98. The goal of the Task Force was to reduce the severity of crashes, reduce the number of crashes and facilitate traffic flow. One of the many recommendations by the committee was the use of technology (Red Light Cameras).
Pursuant to the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, FSS 316.0083 states the owner of a motor vehicle is liable for payment of a minimum civil penalty of $158 if the owner’s vehicle proceeds into an intersection equipped with a photographic traffic control monitoring system when the traffic control signal for that vehicle’s direction of travel is emitting a steady red signal.
How it Works
The system activates when motion is detected just prior to the stop bar after the traffic signal has turned red. The cameras capture two images of an alleged violation, taken from the rear of the vehicle.
- The first image shows the vehicle at the white stop bar and the illuminated red light.
- The second image shows the violator in the middle of the intersection with the red light illuminated.
- The license plate image is a close-up from one of the images captured.
Data, including the time, date and duration of the yellow and red lights, is also recorded. Cameras also record a 12-second digital video of the violation, including six seconds prior to and six seconds after running the red light.
The Benefits
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates 20 percent of all drivers do not obey intersection traffic signals. Red-light cameras help the City of Gulf Breeze Police Department enforce traffic laws by automatically photographing vehicles whose drivers run red lights. The City of Gulf Breeze is committed to the safety of the community and dedicated to reducing red-light violations and their potential for crashes and injuries on our roadways.
Run a Red Light – Save Only Seconds
Red-light violations contribute substantially to the millions of intersection collisions that occur nationally each year. Red-light running is the leading cause of urban crashes according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In 2018, 846 people were killed and an estimated 200,000 were injured in crashes that involved red-light running.
Police Can’t Be at an Intersection 24/7
The City of Gulf Breeze Police Department simply does not have enough police officers to enforce red-light running violations at every dangerous intersection in the city using conventional methods.
Change Driver Behavior
The overall goal of the program is to change dangerous driver behavior. Each driver makes a decision when approaching an intersection where the light has just turned red. Impatient drivers often choose to continue through the intersection, ignoring the law and putting lives at risk. The purpose of this program is to increase traffic safety in the City of Gulf Breeze by reducing the number of daily red-light violations.
