Suffolk County red-light camera program ending Dec. 1 after 14 years

Fourteen years and more than $289 million in fines and related fees after its first camera was installed, Suffolk County’s red-light camera program is coming to an end Dec. 1.

The automated enforcement program has long stirred debate, with proponents pointing to reductions in serious crashes and fatalities as evidence of the program’s worth. However, opponents have questioned other aspects of safety, citing an increase in rear-end crashes. Some have called the program — which netted the county about $13 million last year — a "cash grab" by the county.

There are 216 red-light camera systems at 100 intersections in Suffolk, which were used to issue an average of 980 tickets — at $50 apiece — per day in 2023, according to county data. The contractor is Canada-based Modaxo, which bought the subsidiary that handles the contract from New Jersey-based Conduent earlier this year.

In the end, the program fizzled with a whimper after state and county lawmakers failed to take steps to extend it beyond Dec. 1, though Nassau's program will remain active. 

The ending of Suffolk's program is not directly related to Wednesday's court ruling that Nassau's collection of extra fees — which are $100 on top of the $50 base fine — are illegal. The appellate division court ruled that the fees, which Suffolk also used to collect until 2023, contradict state law.

For answers to your questions about why the program is ending, its safety record and what happens next, read on.

Why is the program ending?

An extension of the program would have required approval from the Suffolk County Legislature as well as from the State Legislature — all in an election year.

While Assemb. Fred W. Thiele Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) sponsored an extension bill in the state Assembly, no one from Suffolk’s Senate delegation — which includes four Republicans and one Democrat — proposed an extension before the last legislative session ended in June.

Extending the program also would have required a "home rule message" by the county legislature. Legis. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), the legislature’s presiding officer, told Newsday he and his colleagues didn't introduce a home rule message because there was no bill in the State Senate, only in the Assembly.

What's the safety record?

Suffolk’s intersections with the cameras experienced an 11.3% reduction in accidents involving injuries in the years after installation, according to county data released in 2020. Although that data does not differentiate between fatal injuries and other types, a county-commissioned study by an independent engineering consulting company found a reduction in fatal accidents at intersections with cameras in Suffolk in the program's early years — mirroring nationwide studies indicating red-light cameras have saved lives.

However, overall accidents actually increased by 8.6%, largely because of a 47.7% spike in rear-end accidents after the cameras were installed, according to Suffolk County data. 

Alec Slatky, director of public and government affairs at AAA Northeast, said while AAA supports red-light cameras in general, their safety effectiveness depends greatly on how and where programs are implemented.

Rear-end accidents are often caused by people braking suddenly to avoid a red-light ticket, according to Slatky. Because red-light cameras are effective at reducing right-angled crashes — which are more likely to cause serious injuries — they should only be installed at intersections with that problem, he said.

"You ... really have to look at it intersection by intersection. Are crashes going up at a particular intersection? Are they going down at a particular intersection? ... We want the authorities to be looking at the crash data really closely," Slatky said.

In addition to proper placement, it’s also important to improve signal visibility and ensure lights are timed optimally, he noted.

McCaffrey said Suffolk’s camera program was implemented with too little focus on safety. He cited as an example Great East Neck Road’s intersection with State Route 109 in West Babylon, which saw an increase in all types of accidents — including those involving injuries — after cameras were installed, according to county data.

"These are types of things that you need to look at and say, ‘Hey, maybe these aren't the best locations, because they're doing more harm than good,’" McCaffrey said, adding, "I'm not opposed to the program, if it's done right."

How much have people paid?

Suffolk brought in $289.6 million in gross revenue from the red-light camera program between 2013 and 2023, according to its annual report on the program. In 2023, it took in an estimated $18.7 million and paid the vendor around $5.6 million for the program.

McCaffrey said the county’s decision to raise property taxes this year wasn’t the direct result of the camera program’s demise, noting the program’s revenues have fallen since 2023, when a $30 administration fee per ticket was eliminated by the legislature.

But he noted the lost revenue is "still a significant amount of money, and it’s something that we have to figure out."

What about Nassau's program?

Nassau lawmakers voted to continue their county’s red-light camera program this year.

Red-light tickets in Nassau cost motorists $150, and the county took in $64 million in gross revenue in 2022. However, the recent court decision — which Nassau and Suffolk counties could still try to appeal — declares that charges beyond a $50 fine and $25 late fee are illegal.

A 2022 report by the county indicated its cameras were more effective at preventing crashes than Suffolk’s. Right-angled crashes plummeted 76% and rear-end crashes fell 4% at red-light camera intersections in Nassau in 2022, compared with a three-year average before the cameras were installed in 2009, officials wrote. Accidents involving injuries dropped by 33%, the report said.

There was one fatality at a red-light camera intersection in 2022 and five in 2021, county records indicate.

In addition to Nassau, lawmakers in Albany voted to greatly expand New York City’s red-light camera program and to extend other programs in White Plains, Albany, Mount Vernon, Yonkers and New Rochelle. The Town of Greenburgh has also begun an entirely new program.

What happens next?

Unless state lawmakers return to Albany for a special session and vote to reinstate the program before the end of the year, Suffolk will no longer be authorized to issue tickets using red-light cameras after Dec. 1. The issue could resurface next year after the State Legislature returns in January.

It is unclear what will happen to the camera equipment in the immediate aftermath. According to county officials, the cameras are owned by the vendor; Modaxo did not respond to Newsday's emailed questions.

Neither Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine's office nor the Suffolk County Police Department responded to Newsday's written questions about plans after the cameras shut off. A Romaine spokesperson referred the questions to the county legislature.

Legis. Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), the minority leader in the county legislature, said the county needs to adapt by embracing other safety strategies to reduce traffic deaths.

"I understand folks' complaints about [the red-light camera program] being a money grab. ... My retort would be, what other impediments can we put in to curb aggressive driving? ... What do we replace it with?" he said.

McCaffrey said he doesn't rule out bringing back a red-light camera program in the future, if the focus was changed.

"Our concern here is about safety of the residents, and I think this program got away from that, and it became more about revenue generation than public safety," he said. "I would only support it if it came back with the focus being on safety and not about revenue."