Question: Regarding the red-light cameras, how many of those thousands of tickets have been paid? Also, are crashes at those intersections going down?
Answer: As of Oct. 23, 7,327 of 13,180 tickets issued by that date were paid, said Shelly Kunishige, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation. She said 699 people contested their cases, of whom 205 succeeded in having the tickets dismissed, most because they no longer owned the vehicle, which is one of five reasons a citation generated by the traffic cameras can be contested.
As for the 5,648 pending citations, unpaid traffic fines are eventually referred to a collection agency, which adds a 21% fee on top of the outstanding balance and reports cases over $25 to the major credit reporting agencies, according to the Hawaii Judiciary website. However, an unpaid ticket of this sort shouldn’t prevent a person from renewing their vehicle’s registration. Numerous readers have asked about that, and Kunishige said DOT confirmed with the Judiciary that “unpaid red-light running citations do not result in a stopper on the vehicle registration.”
The fine for a first-time infraction is $97, but could be as high as $200 under state law, according to the DOT website.
As for your second question, major crashes are trending downward at seven intersections, stable at two, and up at one of the 10 Oahu intersections where cameras enforce red-light running, according to statistics provided by the DOT. Five such crashes have occurred at the 10 intersections since cameras were activated, compared with 21 over a longer time period before they were present. That’s the caveat — it’s not a direct year-over-year comparison. For example, there were five major crashes at McCully and Algaroba streets and four at Ward Avenue and King Street from Jan. 1, 2021, to April 14, 2023, the day red-light cameras were activated at those intersections, the DOT said. Since the activation date through last Friday, the most recent data available, there haven’t been major crashes at either intersection.
A major crash is one that causes serious injury or property damage over $3,000, Kunishige said. The statistics include major crashes where disregard of a traffic-control device was a factor.
“We will continue to monitor throughout the two- year pilot, but for now are pleased with the downward trend in major crashes,” she said, noting that the department also is pleased with a general downward trend in citations being issued, which indicates that drivers are aware of the red-light cameras and learning to abide by them. “Ideally we would have zero red-light running violations,” she said.
Oahu’s Red-Light Safety Camera two-year pilot program, which the DOT wants to make permanent, went live with citations Nov. 11, 2022, at Vineyard Boulevard and Palama Street. Cameras were added at nine other intersections over time, most recently at McCully and Algaroba streets. A total of 17 cameras operate at the 10 intersections, Kunishige said.
The automated system enforces only straight-through violations of the red light, which occur when a vehicle illegally enters the intersection while the light is red. Cameras take multiple pictures of an alleged infraction from the rear of the vehicle and the Honolulu Police Department reviews the alleged infraction before a ticket is mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. With the advent of this system, the state and city have encouraged anyone who sells their car to ensure that the notice of transfer is completed.
In person-to-person sales, “it is highly recommended that the buyer and seller go together in person to transfer the vehicle title and registration (buyer) and submit notice of transfer (seller). This will ensure any discrepancies with the vehicle documents can be identified, and the seller can be confident that the ownership transfer is legally finalized,” Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services says on its website.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
