DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - It's an unpleasant surprise no one likes to find in the mailbox. A photo of your vehicle rolling through a red light, accompanied by a ticket ordering you to pay a $75 fine.
If State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford) has his way, red-light cameras will soon be turned off for good across Texas.
Stickland is the main sponsor of HB 1631, which would outlaw the "eye in the sky," which he calls unconstitutional. Stickland told KRLD News, "I think it ruins our right to due process, our right to face our accuser, a lot of big privacy concerns, and something I've been hearing about from my constituents for years now."
Some area cities have turned off the red-light cameras, but others - including Dallas and Plano - continue to use them. The Dallas Morning News reports Dallas took in $5.8 million in fines from the cameras last year, and that the Arizona-based vendor operating the cameras netted about $1.5 million from violations in the city.
Even though some advocates claim the red-light cameras improve driver safety, Stickland said it's important to look at all the data. He said, "Red-light cameras have shown to decrease T-bone accidents. What most studies from the red-light camera vendors won't tell you is that where red-light cameras are installed, we see a massive increase in rear-end collisions."
A similar bill to get rid of the cameras was approved by the Texas Senate in 2017, but it failed in the House. With more than 100 colleagues supporting his measure, Stickland is confident it will pass in the current session. He said, "The governor has been in support, and said he wants to sign the bill to get rid of red-light cameras. I think the stars are aligning, and that these things are gone."
The Texas Supreme Court is currently considering the legality of the red-light cameras, with a decision expected in the next few months.