Speed past green lights, get fined
The Metropolitan Police Department is considering the expansion of the automated technology it uses to catch drivers who break the law. MPD spokesman Kevin Morison said the department is "exploring the possibility of using the red light camera infrastructure to ticket for speeding through a green light. This can be done by adding a certain chip to the cameras that are currently mounted on red lights in the District and can be used to photograph people who run red lights, he said. Morison said that the red-light cameras currently detect vehicle speed, but that this addition would ensure greater accuracy. As of now, the department does not issue tickets for speeding picked up by the red-light cameras, which have been in use since August 1999. The red-light cameras are triggered by sensors embedded in the pavement. If a car passes over the sensors after the light has turned red, a picture is taken, but this does not lead to a ticket. If the car continues to drive through the intersection, another picture is taken, which could then result in a ticket and a fine.
