(COLORADO SPRINGS) — If you’ve ever gone through an intersection thinking that yellow light was going to last a little longer than it did, you’re not alone. You’re also not alone in wondering how exactly law enforcement decides who ran a red light and who didn’t.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), there are currently 20 red light cameras in the city. And while you may see the white flash of the camera going off from time to time, it doesn’t necessarily mean a violation occurred. The cameras capture two images of an alleged violation–one taken from the rear of the car and one from the front. Cameras also record a 12-second digital video of the violation, including six seconds prior to and six seconds after running the red light.
Red light cameras are meant to capture someone entering an intersection after the light has turned red, so occasionally a car may trigger the cameras when no violation occurred. For this reason, CSPD said all red light violations are reviewed by an officer before a citation is issued.
So, how exactly does the officer determine whether you entered an intersection? Is it your entire car that has to be in the intersection? The front hood? Or the tires? FOX21 reached out to CSPD to find out.
“Essentially — the decision is up to the officer,” CSPD said. “If the front wheels of a vehicle are past the stop bar before the light turns red we would not approve that as a violation… All of the events are reviewed so the vehicle has to be clearly in the intersection. We don’t split hairs.”
The stop bar is the thick white line that shows drivers where to stop before they can be considered “entering the intersection.” So if your front tires are past the white line before the light turns red, you technically did not run the light, though it’s still best to err on the side of caution when approaching an intersection.
CSPD said if you entered the intersection when the light was still green or yellow and waited for traffic to clear before completing a left turn on red, that is also not a violation.
In 2024, cameras in the city captured 134,103 violation events, but only 46,992 of those resulted in a citation. According to CSPD’s red light camera statistics, the top intersections for violations in 2024 were Platte/Chelton, Campus/Woodmen, Woodmen/Black Forest, and Lake/Cheyenne Mountain.
If an officer determines that you did run a red light, you will receive a citation in the mail and you will have the opportunity to review the photo and video evidence of your infraction. A red light camera citation is a non-moving infraction that will result in a $75 fine, but does not result in the assessment of points against the driver.
According to CSPD, the road safety camera program is set up to be fully funded through fines paid by red-light runners. Any additional revenues above the cost to operate the program go into the City’s general fund, not CSPD.
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