HONOLULU (KHON2) — After months of warnings, Oahu’s red light speed cameras are officially going live.
Beginning Nov. 1, drivers caught running a red light or speeding through an intersection could receive a citation in the mail, up to $200 for a first offense.
The state says more than 500,000 warnings have been sent out since March.
Adam Livingston got his warning letter in the mail just a few days ago for speeding through an intersection. The problem – it happened back in April.
“Hopefully, it becomes more efficient, and we get that feedback quicker. Hopefully, it makes us a little bit better, a little bit safer drivers on the whole,” said Livingston.
Here’s how it works: when a vehicle enters an intersection after the light turns red or speeds more than 11 miles over the posted limit, cameras capture multiple still images, video and data.
That encrypted file is sent to the vendor’s processing center for initial screening. Only potential violations are forwarded to the Honolulu Police Department, where officers make the final decision to approve or reject a citation.
Once approved, the citation is mailed within 10 days of the incident.
It’s not clear why the warning letters are taking months to be delivered, but those like Adam are hoping to see a more efficient system.
“Give a citation to me in a couple of weeks. That would be great, you know, maybe a month, but not six months,” said Livingston.
The registered owner, not necessarily the driver, is responsible under state law. That’s because Hawaii’s privacy rules prohibit photographing faces, meaning citations are tied to the vehicle license plate, not who was behind the wheel.
“My business is right up the street, and I’ve seen cars, you know, getting into accidents all the time. So I think in busy, congested areas, I think it’s a good idea,” said Ken Takahashi, who owns Honolulu Burger Co. “I’m guilty of going through a yellow light, you know? I mean, sometimes you can’t help it, you know? But yeah, luckily for now, I haven’t gotten a letter.”
Drivers who get a citation can log onto an online portal to review photos and video evidence, pay their fine, or contest it in court.
All fines go into a special fund to support the operation and maintenance of the system.
Over the past five years, the DOT says nearly half of all traffic fatalities statewide, 236 deaths, were linked to speed.
For now, enforcement is limited to 10 intersections on Oahu, but the DOT plans to expand the camera system statewide, with a minimum of 20 cameras a year over the next eight years.
HPD and state officials will be watching to see if the number of violations and crashes go down. For now, consider this your reminder to slow down and red means stop.