Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-IL) recently raised concerns about Chicago’s red-light camera system, suggesting that it may disproportionately penalize Black drivers on the city’s South Side. Ford cited data showing that cameras on the South Side issued more than twice the number of tickets as those on the North Side, sparking claims of racial bias. However, experts contend that the data doesn’t reflect racial profiling — it reflects traffic conditions and the volume of violations in different areas.
The Illinois Policy Institute reported that South Side cameras issued an average of 9,132 tickets, compared to 5,521 tickets from the North Side, generating $61.4 million in fines. Ford’s argument hinges on the idea that these numbers point to systemic racism. But this view ignores the fact that the cameras are simply recording traffic violations. They are not capable of targeting specific racial groups.
Instead of race, factors like the amount of traffic and the design of intersections are more likely to explain the higher number of violations on the South Side. These areas tend to have more complex intersections and higher traffic density, which naturally increases the likelihood of red-light violations. In other words, the system is catching more people running red lights — not targeting one race over another.
Ford’s concerns also touch on the financial burden that red-light tickets place on low-income families, who may struggle to pay multiple fines. However, this issue is not exclusive to Black drivers or any one racial group. Lower-income individuals of all races are affected by the system’s fines, and this should be the focus of the conversation, not race.
The real question surrounding red-light cameras is whether they effectively improve road safety or if they are simply a revenue tool for the city. Critics argue that the cameras may not significantly reduce accidents, but merely generate fines without addressing underlying traffic safety issues.
With the city generating $915 million from tickets since 2008, the controversy surrounding the cameras is unlikely to go away. However, it’s crucial to separate genuine concerns about the financial impact on low-income families from misguided claims of racial bias. The data doesn’t support the argument that the cameras are targeting Black drivers — it simply reflects traffic patterns.
