A bill by Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo seeks to reduce the base fine for drivers who roll through red lights to make right turns. Assembly Bill 909 would reduce the base fine for such violations from $100 to $35 (the fines are considerably higher after all assessments are made). Hill and supporters are defending the California stop and claim the existing law was not intended to target rolling right turns, but drivers running red lights through intersections. They contend that red light cameras and ticketing rolling stops are not about increasing safety, but about raising revenue.
The existing law requires drivers to come to a complete stop at a red light; failure to stop is punishable by a $100 fine. (However, drivers who come to a complete stop, then proceed to make an unsafe right turn are only subject to a $35 fine.)
Reducing the fine also reduces the disincentive to drivers, possibly increasing the number of violations. A driver who makes a rolling RTOR can endanger anyone in a crosswalk. However, the California Bicycle Coalition has an interesting analysis of the bill, pointing out that a lower fine will reduce resistance to the fine. This could mean a greater number of convictions, eventually getting repeat offenders off the road. But until offenders are off the road, you probably don't want to be in the crosswalk.
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