The biggest financial loss and highest chance for bodily harm you can receive from someone breaking the law in Manteca isn’t from a robbery, assault, or burglary.

It’s from a traffic accident.

The type of accident that most frequently causes the most physical damage are T-bone accidents at intersections.

And the drivers that cause the most carnage are red light runners.

Last year, Manteca had 177 intersection collisions primarily from drivers running red lights. That is almost 1 in every 5 traffic accidents.

It is why a $268,000 agreement with American Traffic Solutions for the installation and operation of red light cameras is before the Manteca City Council when they meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. The meeting is at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.

The new generation of red light cameras can cover six lanes. They are activated when a vehicle crosses the limit line — which in many cases is the front edge of a crosswalk — after the signal turns red.

Keep in mind there is a pause built in between the light turning red and the light for cross traffic turning yellow.

That is after a legally required several seconds plus — the actual length is based on posted speed limits — for a light to display amber.

As such, the state law controls the time transition from green to amber to red to assure motorists that are paying attention to driving and aren’t exceeding the posted speed limit can stop in time to avoid running a red light.

Police Chief Steve Schluer can cite numerous studies conducted nationwide where the camera system he is recommending “effectively reduces red light violations, leading to a subsequent decline in accidents and injuries.”

Tickets are considered one of the most effective ways to gain compliance with traffic laws.

But as the police chief notes, the impact goes way beyond those that receive red light tickets.

“By proactively addressing these root causes of traffic violations, the City of Manteca aims to foster a culture of compliance with traffic regulations, thereby contributing to the overall improvement of public safety and the quality of life for our community members,” Schluer notes in a report to the council.

In other words, the very presence of red light cameras — as well as with word getting around of increased tickets for red light running — can prompt many people to change their driving habits and comply with traffic law.

Manteca in 2022 issued 1,507 citations involving moving violations. That number is down 20.14 percent from 1,887 in 2021.

Those are tickets for  violations that contribute the most to accidents — distracted driving, speeding, red light running, unsafe turns, and following too closely among other violations.

Manteca has six officers assigned to the traffic unit — the same number as in 2008 when the city had 65,000 residents compared to 90,000 today. There were also proportionately less vehicles and less streets.

Six officers working four 10-hour shifts a week even before you factor in vacation time and illness is a big stretch to cover Manteca during peak traffic times.

The red light cameras are on the job 24/7.

Tickets are issued via mail only after the data — video and photos cued up by the system when violations occur — is reviewed by a police officer.

The revenue received from the tickets that actually goes to the city and not the court system or the state from the $490 ticket will help cover the cost of the contract.

Keep in mind, Manteca receives only 14 percent of all fines and assessments. In 2022, that meant those 1,507 citations brought the city only $160,000.

That barely will cover the salary health benefits, retirement costs, and worker’s compensation premiums for one police officer.

As for the cost of accidents, various research by organizations such as the Insurance Safety Institute put the average financial loss suffered from a non-injury accident at between $8,900 and $10,000 based on 2022 data.

It increases if there are injuries. Those that are minor can add on $4,000 to the cost of a typical accident.

The average for all injury-related traffic accidents is $78,900.

It is $1.4 million for accidents involving a fatality.

That means the 1,000 plus traffic accidents that happened in Manteca last year that were handled by the police department resulted in roughly a $10 million loss when all impacted parties are taken into account.

Compared that to property losses through theft.

Data collected by the department indicated the value of all property stolen in Manteca was $6,817,483.

That said, officers recovered $3,491,828 worth of that stolen property.

As such the net loss from crime per se was $3,325,655 in 2022 versus accidents — almost all caused by traffic rules including attentive driving not being followed — came in at roughly $10 million.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com