Prince William County is planning to launch red-light cameras at nine of its most dangerous intersections, in response to a surge in serious crashes since 2020.
The pilot program will put the cameras at intersections across the county with different configurations, according to Richard Weinmann, engineering manager of the county’s traffic safety section.
The Prince William Times first reported details of the program.
The county is currently collecting data at eight of the nine locations and is hoping to have those eight installed during this calendar year, Weinmann said.
The plan comes two years after the Board of Supervisors OK’d a pilot program to explore using automated enforcement cameras in school zones and at red lights. At the time, county leaders emphasized the importance of starting with school zones first. Weinmann said that program has helped drivers slow down in those areas.
The county had to work with Virginia’s Department of Transportation, which manages the county’s roads, to work through the necessary nuances and logistics.
“The whole point behind the pilot program is to show a safety benefit,” Weinmann said. “If we fail to do that, our recommendation to the board will be not to proceed with making the program permanent.”
The intersections were selected based on those that have experienced the most severe crashes. The focus, Weinmann said, was on angled crashes, because they “are one of the worst crashes you can get.”
The cameras will capture video of drivers who go through red lights and send it to the program’s vendor. The vendor then runs the plate and shares it with county police, who review it and certify it, Weinmann said.
Drivers found to be in violation will receive a $50 ticket in the mail. It doesn’t put points on the driver’s license, and it doesn’t impact insurance rates. Once the ticket is paid, driver information is removed from the system, Weinmann said.
Drivers may see a camera light flash even if they haven’t violated traffic rules — but they won’t get a ticket in the mail.
“There’s a small window of dilemma,” Weinmann said. “I think it’s half a second after the light has turned red, so anyone who’s in that little dilemma zone will probably not receive a ticket either.”
To critics who suspect automated traffic enforcement is about profit instead of safety, Weinmann said, “I welcome the skepticism, because we want to make sure that we are doing … what the county wants, and that is justifiable, and that we are seeing a safety benefit.”
The cameras will be located at:
- Linton Hall Road/Nokesville Road
- Richmond Highway/Gordon Boulevard
- Minnieville Road/Spriggs Road
- Prince William Parkway/Sudley Manor Drive
- Prince William Parkway/Hoadly Road
- Old Bridge Road/Harbor Drive
- Old Centreville Road/ Rugby Road
- Lee Highway/Heathcote Boulevard
- Dumfries Road, Virginia Route 234, and Country Club Drive
A public hearing on the program is scheduled for next week.
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