Picture This: Photo-Red Looks Like Dead-End Idea

“Photo-red” wouldn’t have prevented drunk-driving poster boy James B. Barstad, 30, of Richland from blowing a stoplight at Hamilton and Mission May 25 and killing two women.

That creep, with the sno-cone hairdo and a chip on his shoulder as big as a ponderosa, wouldn’t have stopped if the intersection had been barricaded and manned by Police Chief Terry Mangan’s finest.

Nor would photo-red - a Big Brother system that photographs red-light violators - have prevented Cephas William Parham, 19, of Spokane, from crashing his Olds Cutlass into a school bus April 26 and killing a passenger. Witnesses say Parham was speeding and made no attempt to stop at the light at Howard and Maxwell.

In its zeal to crack down on a documented problem of red-light running, Spokane is about to make a big mistake. It’s going to introduce unforgiving technology that will catch a lot of small fry while big fish like Barstad and Parham continue to maim and kill.

Even law-abiding citizens occasionally run red lights.

All of us have been caught in that traffic twilight zone as we approach a green light with cars behind us. We don’t know whether to maintain speed or slow down expecting a yellow light. At a certain distance from an intersection, we don’t have enough time to react to a quick yellow light without violating the law or risking a tail-ender by slamming on the brakes.

With photo-red, Spokanites also will have to factor into their split-second decision the risk of an automatic $66 ticket. Most good drivers beat themselves up enough for that rare instance when they run a light or stop sign without a ticket and higher insurance rates to taunt them.

Instead of wasting $15,500 on posters, banners, stickers and public-service announcements to remind drivers to observe red lights, Spokane should do what Coeur d’Alene has done for years. Its police force has formed an accident reduction team that has cracked down on speeders and red-light runners - hard.

Coeur d’Alene’s accident rate has tumbled since Community Action Reduction Through Education patrols hit the street.

Besides, a patrol cop has the ability to chase down the next Barstad before he gets to that intersection full of potential victims. Photo-red never could do that.

, DataTimes MEMO: For opposing view, see “Spokane takes fast track to break drivers’ bad habits”

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