About The Photo Enforced Map Database Founded in 2001

Photo Enforced is a user-generated or crowd-sourced database of photo enforced and traffic camera locations started in 2001. The open database of locations and fines is continually updated by anonymous users from around the world. The majority of the database currently contains red light cameras and speed cameras. However, as photo enforcement becomes an increasingly popular source of revenue for cities around the world, other photo enforcement techniques such as fixed and mobile school safety zone speed cameras, illegal right turn cameras, bus lane cameras, parking cameras, toll road cameras, carpool lane HOV enforcement, Metro railroad cameras, and license plate reader cameras for asset tracking and security are coming online. The database consists of more than 26,000 locations and fines and is changing and growing every day. We currently track red light cameras, speed cameras, toll road cameras, traffic cameras, and automatic license plate reader cameras (ALPR).

Why Was Database Created?

The photo enforced map database was started in 2001 to monitor and track the locations and fines associated with photo enforcement across the U.S. The crowdsourced database has grown over 15% per year and now has almost 26,000 locations across North America, Europe, and Australia since its inception over 20+ years ago. Photo enforcement laws vary significantly from state to state; some authorize enforcement statewide, whereas others permit it only in specified communities. The use of red light cameras, license plate readers, and speed cameras has grown significantly in communities trying to enforce traffic safety and also generate additional city revenue. There are also many safety hazards associated with the use of these cameras due to erratic driving behavior, sudden stops, and speeding up. Most of the photo-enforced intersections chosen by cities have proven to be dangerous in the past with accidents. It is our mission to track these dangerous driving locations and monitor photo enforcement laws and fines. It is our goal to get mapping and navigation companies like Google Maps, Waze, Here, MapBox, Garmin, Cobra, Magellan, Telenav, Sygic, and TomTom to publish our locations and make drivers more aware of these potentially hazardous intersections while driving. See additional details in the PhotoEnforced.com Company Overview PowerPoint.

How Do Red Light Cameras Work?

A red light camera system is connected to the traffic signal and to sensors buried in the pavement at the crosswalk or stop line. Traffic engineers determine the criteria that will trigger the camera to photograph a vehicle. Red light cameras usually only photograph the license tag of the vehicle, but they also can photograph the driver. Typically, two photographs are taken, one when the vehicle crosses the stop line and a second when the vehicle is in the intersection. The photographs also include the date, time and place, vehicle speed, and elapsed time from the light turning red to the time the photograph was taken.

False Alarm? Making A Right Turn? Caught In The Intersection?

To avoid photographing the vehicles of drivers who inadvertently get caught in the intersection, traffic engineers program the system to photograph only those vehicles that are moving in excess of a predetermined speed and that enter the intersection a predetermined time after the signal has turned red. The minimum speed criteria eliminate the possibility of issuing citations for vehicles making legal turns on red or those that are stopped in traffic before clearing the intersection. Drivers who enter on yellow and find themselves in an intersection when the light changes to red are not photographed. The technology is intended to catch vehicles driven by motorists who intentionally enter an intersection after the signal has turned red.

How Do Speed Cameras Work?

Speed enforcement systems, also known as photo-radar, are triggered when a vehicle exceeding the speed limit by a predetermined amount is observed. Like red light cameras, speed cameras generate photographic evidence that gives the date, time, place, and vehicle speed.

Verification

The pictures taken by road-rule enforcement cameras must usually be viewed by a person before any infringement notice or ticket is issued to the driver and judged to be satisfactory or not. This step is known as verification and is a standard legal requirement in nearly all jurisdictions. Verifiers typically must check some or all of the following:

  • No sign of interference with the vehicle detector by objects other than the vehicle
  • License plate readable according to a legal standard
  • The make and model of the vehicle match the recorded license plate number
  • The appearance of the driver in the images is adequate or it matches the picture on the driver's license of the vehicle's registered owner.

How Is A Ticket Processed?

Most electronic flash cameras produce clear images of vehicles under all light and weather conditions. Photographs are carefully reviewed by trained police officers or other officials to verify vehicle information and ensure the vehicle was in violation. Tickets are mailed to vehicle owners only in cases where it is clear the vehicle ran the red light. Typically, this process takes one to three weeks and fines range from $50 in some states up to $500.

Will I Get Points On My Driving Record?

A few states treat automated enforcement citations just like parking tickets in that the registered owner is liable. Similarly, just as parking tickets do not result in points and are not recorded on a driver's record, many states do not assess points or make a record of automated enforcement citations.

How To Update, Add, Remove, Records In Our Database

Here is a guide on the process of updating, and removing locations on our platform.

Maps to Explore

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