Police
RED Means Stop!
PhotoRED is Arlington's photo red light enforcement program.
Red light cameras:
• Improve driver compliance with traffic signals
• Supplement the uniformed police force by monitoring red light violations
• Reduce the risks involved in the red light violation enforcement of large intersections.
The locations of monitored intersections will be highly publicized as they become active.
If you run a red light, your vehicle will be photographed and you will receive a civil penalty for the violation.
Information on the Virginia law governing the photo-monitoring systems to enforce traffic light signals can be found under the Code of Virginia section 15.2-968.1.
Frequently asked questions about the program.
What Is the Penalty?
The penalty for a photo enforced red light running violation is a $50.00 fine. No court costs are associated with the fine.
The violation is a civil matter.
There are no driver license points assessed and there are no insurance implications. By law, the Department of Motor Vehicles and insurance companies cannot be notified of the offense.
This violation does not affect drivers that are on probation with the court or with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Who Is Responsible?
The operator of the vehicle is liable for the monetary penalty imposed from information obtained from the red light camera system.
The video and photographed evidence of the red light violation will be available for review and inspection by the registered owner or driver of the vehicle.
There is a legal presumption that the registered owner, lessee, or renter of the vehicle was the person who committed the violation. This presumption can be challenged by affidavit or testimony under oath in open court that the owner, lessee, or renter was not the driver at the time of the violation.
How Many Intersections Will Be Monitored?
Arlington County is authorized to monitor a total of 20 intersections by Virginia State Code guidelines of one intersection per 10,000 residents.
Currently, cameras are installed at four intersections.
The following factors were used for the selection of the monitored intersections:
- Accident rate for the intersection
- Rate of red light violations occurring at the intersection
- Difficulty police have experienced when apprehending violators – either in patrol cars or on foot
- Ability of police to apprehend violators safely within a reasonable distance from the violation<</li>
- Pedestrian safety
How Does It Work?
Photo enforced signs are located within 500 feet of the intersection in an effort to remind drivers to comply with the traffic signal.
Enforcement cameras are only active during the red cycle of the traffic light. The cameras capture images of vehicles that enter the intersection after the light has turned red for one-half of a second.
The camera system is wired to the traffic lights and to sensors that are buried in the lanes of the roadway surface. Vehicles that cross the sensors after the light has turned red activate the system.
The violating vehicle is photographed 3 times and a 12-second video of the violation captures the vehicle in motion.
• The first photo is taken at the stop bar as evidence to show that the light was red prior to the vehicle entering the intersection
• The second photo is the vehicle’s license plate for identification purposes
• The third photo is taken to show evidence of the vehicle proceeding through the intersection while the light is still red.
The photographed documentation of the red light violation is evidence for the police department to issue a civil penalty to the owner of the vehicle.
 | Illustration of a single intersection approach with a vehicle in violation of the traffic signal. Each system contains multiple cameras that can capture multiple lane violations occurring at the same time. Drivers are reminded that the system also captures right turn on red violations. |
More Information
The PhotoRED program is about public awareness and education. The success of the program is measured in the reduction of red light running and not by the number of vehicles caught violating the law.
Resources
VDOT – Virginia Department of Transportation
U.S Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety