It was late one night last fall, and a motorist was driving home from work when a red-light runner slammed into his vehicle. He was killed instantly.

The intersection of Camelback Road and 16th Street (in the heart of my Council District) was the scene of this horrible collision, but it could’ve been anywhere in Arizona. Every day, an average of three motorists are killed on Arizona roadways.

That’s three lives lost; three families ripped apart.

Our state has the nation’s highest rate of red-light fatalities; nearly 1 in 5 traffic deaths in Arizona involves a red-light runner. Phoenix roads, per capita, are even more deadly than those in Los Angeles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This gruesome toll threatens to worsen as our state grows and roadways become more congested.

Every collision is different, but common themes emerge: excessive speed, intoxication, distracted or reckless driving, and red-light running.

The good news? We have tools to address many of these issues. Legislators recognized the danger of texting while driving and outlawed the practice beginning in 2021. Arizona has among the nation’s stiffest regulations against drunk driving. And communities across the state have pioneered the use of technology, including photo enforcement, to crack down on red-light running and excessive speed.

Unfortunately, some at the State Capitol would now like to take that lifesaving tool away from police. Legislators are considering SB1019, which would ban photo enforcement, and SCR1002, which would ask voters to do the same via the ballot.

Both measures have the same effect: to make our roads more dangerous.

A multitude of studies demonstrate the positive impact of photo enforcement on driver behavior. Last year, a University of Arizona analysis reported red-light cameras at select Phoenix intersections had reduced crashes resulting in deaths or injuries by 28%. Separately, a national analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found rates of fatal red-light crashes were 21% lower in cities with photo enforcement than in communities without.

Likewise, photo enforcement has proved effective at combating motorist speeding – the most common factor in Arizona fatal crashes. It’s common sense – the faster a vehicle travels, the less time a driver has to react, and the greater the devastation in case of a collision.

The City of Scottsdale has used photo enforcement for nearly 30 years. A landmark, 2017 analysis credited photo enforcement with reducing speed-related collisions by 65% and overall crashes by approximately one-quarter.

Photo enforcement does not replace officer patrols, it acts as a force multiplier that gives our men and women in uniform the flexibility to focus on more serious offenses. This is vital at a time when most municipal police departments are understaffed and overstretched.

Every lawmaker says they support safe streets. That should include safe streets for Arizona families to travel to and from work, school, baseball practice, or wherever.

Photo enforcement works. Let communities like ours keep it.

Kevin Robinson is a Phoenix City Councilman representing District 6. He was elected in 2022 after retiring from the Phoenix Police Department following a 36-year career in law enforcement.