FILE PHOTO: A red light camera at the intersection of Springfield Road where Benvoulin meets Dilworth.

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

Red light cameras in Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops are expected to catch more bad drivers now that they’re up and running full time.

Previously, the cameras only operated for six hours a day but the B.C. government announced today that they’ve been upgraded to full capacity.

Vernon and Kamloops are each home to one red light camera. In Kamloops, it’s at the intersection of Fortune Drive and 8 Street, and in Vernon it’s at Highway 97 and 43 Avenue. Kelowna has five cameras, most of which are located on Harvey Avenue.

The Okanagan cameras are among 140 others installed across the province at high-crash intersections.

"For too long, cameras with a proven record of curbing red-light runners and the serious crashes they cause were not operating at full capacity," Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says in a media release. "Last year, we saw a record 350,000 crashes in B.C., with about 60 per cent of them happening at intersections. The full activation of these cameras is overdue and an important step for safety on some of our busiest roadways.”

With the move to full activation, more staff have been brought on to review incidents and process additional tickets in a timely manner, the Province says.

In B.C., a red-light camera offence occurs when a vehicle enters an intersection after the signal light turns red. The vehicle's registered owner is responsible for the ticket even if they are not driving, but does not receive penalty points on their licence.

In March 2018, the ministry announced further plans to add technology in some locations to ticket the fastest drivers passing through those intersections on red, yellow or green lights. Analysis of crash and speed data is ongoing to determine which locations will receive this technology, the Province says.

New signs will warn approaching drivers about the enhanced intersection enforcement. The number and locations of the speed-activated cameras is expected to be announced in fall 2018.

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News from © iNFOnews, 2018