Redwood City, Hayward End Red Light Cameras

Running red lights won't involve a photo finish in Hayward anymore.

The East Bay city has halted its use of red-light cameras, which record the license plate of motorists driving through stop lights, according to the Bay Area News Group.

The cameras led to many a hefty ticket for drivers, who discovered that taking a right-hand turn on a red light requires a three-second stop before the move is legal, the newspaper reported.

Redwood City and Hayward have both turned off their cameras for an interesting reason: the cameras are expensive. At first, with tickets, they paid for themselves; now, more motorists are obeying the law and not getting tickets -- but they're also getting in more accidents.

"Rear-end collisions often increase" with drivers stopping at red lights, according to the newspaper.

San Francisco and Fremont, however, plan to keep their red-light cameras.