- May 4, 2024
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As a driver approaches a Palm Coast intersection equipped with red light cameras, sometimes the flash of the camera flickers, even though there was no wrongdoing.
The driver wonders if he will open a letter in the mail a few weeks later — the dreaded citation from the red light cameras.
But just because the flash of the camera flickers doesn’t mean the driver will be cited.
At the Nov. 29 workshop, Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon clarified what constitutes running a red light.
If a driver’s bumper is through the solid white stop line while the light is still yellow, then no citation will be issued. The camera will still flicker, but the driver won't receive a citation.
Also, a driver making a right on red, which is legal, sometimes will cause the cameras to flash. This is because the law states you must come to a complete stop before proceeding with your right turn. However, many times, the driver creeps out too far past that white line to be able to see oncoming traffic. The camera will flash for this, too. But you won't be given a citation.
A lot of times, the camera will take a picture even if the driver didn't proceed with the right turn right away.
Another instance that’ll trigger the camera to take a picture is if a driver goes too far past the white stop line. If a driver is coming into the intersection, sees the light turns red, but stops past the white stop bar, the camera will go off. But as long as the driver stops — even if it’s past the white line — and doesn’t continue through the intersection, no citation will be issued.
While a picture might've been taken, the people reviewing the incidents discard them.
These occurrences account for the discrepancy between the number of violations and the number of citations issued.
From Jan. 1 to Nov. 29, there were 17,720 violations (according to the cameras), but only 3,753 citations were issued.
