Around six months into its new red light camera program, the Leon Valley Police Department says it's seeing fewer crashes and encountering fewer red light runners.
The department is still working on its six month report for the Texas Department of Public Safety, but LVPD Chief Joseph Salvaggio says officers are seeing fewer crashes and the number of overall red light running incidents has reduced 23 percent from the time the city started the program until now.
He says that's good news, because running a red light can lead to consequences much more serious than a $75 fine.
"We've seen people get hurt very badly," Chief Salvaggio said. "We've had one death in the last 18 months where someone was killed, so this isn't something to play with. People [say], 'oh, it's just a traffic issue,' but making that turn is a serious thing and getting hit from the side is where people get seriously injured."
Chief Salvaggio says despite some concerns prior to the program's inception, the department has not seen a significant increase in rear-end crashes as a result of the red light camera usage.
The department is still crunching a final report detailing the program's progress and the amount of money collected as a result of tickets to submit to TXDPS and will release that report when it is complete.