• Camera's are sometimes mounted near stoplights to catch snapshots or videos of red-light running drivers.Traffic light image by Tasha from Fotolia.com
  
  Red-light cameras, or RLCs, have captured drivers all over the United States running red lights and committing other violations. It's clear that drivers these days cannot run red lights in many areas around the country without expecting a ticket in the mail. What is not always clear are the laws regarding photo-enforced intersections.
  
  

Citation Scenarios

• According to StopRLC.org, an organization devoted to stopping or reforming red-light camera use in northwest Illinois suburbs, "Tickets issued by cameras may not exceed $100, but may be issued for lesser amounts at the discretion of the municipality operating the cameras," as of 2009. Elk Grove Village, in northeastern Illinois near Chicago, established the ticket amount at a mandatory $100 the same year.
  
  StopRLC.org states that "equipment used in automated traffic law enforcement systems must be capable of capturing two or more still images, videos or microphotographs of the vehicle committing a violation." Elk Grove Village uses a combination of two still photographs and a 12-second video.
  
  

Driver Defenses

• There are only three defenses a driver can use in Illinois: the vehicle was stolen and has been reported as stolen, the vehicle was part of a legal funeral procession or the vehicle was attempting to yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle. Cities can establish other defenses that the officer conducting any hearing on the matter must consider.
  
  

Other Details

• If an Illinois driver receives a speeding ticket in the mail, it can't be blamed on red-light camera because, according to StopRLC.org: "No county or municipality may use recorded imagery from a red-light camera for the purpose of establishing a vehicle's speed while passing through an intersection."
  
  Also, cameras are not used to identify other parties within the vehicle and only take pictures from the rear of the car. The positioning of the camera almost ensures that if your car is in the picture, it's because your car ran the red light or made an illegal turn.
  
  Points will not be accumulated on the licenses of drivers for photo-enforced citations.
  
  Signs are posted at intersections warning drivers wherever red-light cameras are installed.
  
  Illinois traffic laws regarding photo-enforced intersections differ from county to county. The laws and information referenced are consistent within each county in Illinois.