Red Light Camera Relief: Illinois Comptroller Won’t Pursue Debts

If you've ever opened your mail and found one of those red light camera tickets, you know they can be a pain in the butt. Oftentimes, they've been proven to be wrong, but the time and energy it takes to fight them can be daunting. A lot of people will just pay the $100 as quickly as possible so they don't get hit with the late payment fee of $250.

Susana Mendoza is the comptroller for Illinois and she said today that the State of Illinois will stop collecting fines against drivers who are ticketed after cameras catch them violating red lights, according to WGN.

However, this doesn't mean you are not responsible for tickets. It just means the Comptroller's office won't pursue unpaid tickets. Communities can hire private debt collectors instead.

I believe this could be a step in the removal of red light cameras. Many studies have found they do more bad than good in terms of causing accidents. As higher-ups start to question the integrity of the cameras as well, I truly believe it's only a matter of time before they are gone. What do you think? Should we keep red light cameras or remove them?