New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners

Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.

Collier County is going to install blue lights to help flag red-light runners at problem intersections.

At the Nov. 12 meeting, the board of commissioners approved $160,000 to install red-light indicators (blue lights) at multiple intersections chosen in coordination with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office data.

They will start to be installed in the upcoming months and should be all installed by March.

Below is a full list of where the lights are going, plus relevant data:

One of the intersections on the list is Logan Boulevard and Immokalee Road.

There was a fatality here back in September from a semi-truck driver who ran a red light. The driver was charged after killing a mom.

This incident brought up the urgency to do something in Collier County.

The blue lights differ from red light cameras as they do not issue citations; instead, they alert law enforcement to violations, so there are no cameras.

For example, if a CCSO deputy was sitting right on the side of the road, they’d be staring at the blue light. When the traffic signal turns red, the blue light comes on. Then, any cars that keep going, could get pulled over and ticketed.

“The main thing here is safety. We want to create safety. We want to reduce the amount of crashes and fatal crashes in our county,” David Mercado from the CCSO Traffic Unit said.

The initiative aims to enhance safety by making drivers aware of red-light violations and reducing crashes. The selection of intersections was based on crash data, and the program is expected to improve traffic safety significantly.

“We selected 20 intersections where the most prominent for vehicle crashes based on crash data,” Officer Mercado said.

Collier County Commissioner Burton Saunders was a huge advocated for these blue lights. He said he hopes they will enhance law enforcement and give them a more effective tool to catch people.

“It makes it easier for the law enforcement officer to see the red light runner. It makes it possible to have only one vehicle at an intersection to do that, and so we double our enforcement capability by simply installing these blue lights,” Saunders said.

There are no red light cameras in Collier County. Back in 2012, they were all removed after public backlash.

“The data doesn’t really show that the red-light cameras are that effective in stopping red light runners,” Saunders said.

“It’s only a blue light, so this is not a camera. There will be no cameras installed, only lights. So, the community gets rest safe knowing that they will not be getting citations on the mail to the register owner because of the blue lights,” Officer Mercado said.

The county has already ordered the lights. The hope is to have all 20 of them installed by March 2025.

If you do run a red light, you’ll get a $261 dollar fine and three points on your license. If you get 12 points in 12 months, your license will be suspended for 30 days.

The cities of Naples and Fort Myers already have blue lights.