This is a perfect example of mismatched incentives.
When a deterrent is working, you get very few violations. Rewarding the detection of violations is incentivizing exactly the wrong thing. You're rewarding for making things worse!
I don't know what incentives would work, in the case of red light cameras.
- Accuracy on unmarked test cars going through the intersection? (testing is expensive)
- Clamping the income from fines below some threshold? (the threshold might be manipulated)
- Rewarding low accident rates relative to other intersections? (probably too unstable)
All fines from traffic incidents go into a separate piggy bank that's refunded equally to taxpayers at the end of the year and can't be drawn on for departmental or government funds.
When a deterrent is working, you get very few violations. Rewarding the detection of violations is incentivizing exactly the wrong thing. You're rewarding for making things worse!
I don't know what incentives would work, in the case of red light cameras.
- Accuracy on unmarked test cars going through the intersection? (testing is expensive)
- Clamping the income from fines below some threshold? (the threshold might be manipulated)
- Rewarding low accident rates relative to other intersections? (probably too unstable)