AbstractWith the significant increase in traffic monitoring camera systems, debate about their safety, effectiveness and constitutionality has increased. The purpose of this research is to present arguments from each side of the issue and then compare statistics on the topic in order to determine whether these systems are more beneficial or harmful to public safety and whether public interest or financial gain is the primary advantage. fundamental component in the implementation of camera systems. Over the past decade, American citizens have witnessed an increasingly common sight: the onslaught of electronic monitoring devices placed at traffic lights and intersections with the sole purpose of recording driver behavior to issue fines; all in the name of safety (Federal Highway Administration Safety, n.d.). The proliferation of these speed cameras, which has spread in unprecedented numbers in increasingly smaller cities ("Smile, you're on camera", 2009), is undoubtedly controversial and has sparked a wide debate among citizens, parliaments, police, federal agencies, and civil rights groups (Burnett, 1998). In addition to the debate over whether cameras and citations issued to the owner of the registered vehicle based on the recorded information are constitutional or not (or whether they simply constitute an Orwellian invasion of privacy), also the widely accepted premise that cameras reduce the severity of accidents car accidents and/or prevent car accidents is strongly contested. Supporters of the implementation of red lights and speed cameras are adamant that the use of such devices discourages traffic violations. and decreases accidents (City of Johnson City, TN, n.d.). Research supports these claims… half of article… Guson, S. A., & Farmer, C. M. (2007). Red light reduction through longer yellow signal times and application of the red light camera: results of a field investigation. Retrieved from http://www.stopredlightrunning.comRuby, DE, & Hobeika, AG (2003, Summer). Evaluation of red light cameras in Fairfax County, Virginia. Transportation Quarterly, 57(3), 33-48.Shifflett, G., & Owen, J. (2008, September 22). Red Light Cameras in the Volunteer State: Unsafe, Unconstitutional, and Unnecessary (Tennessee Center for Policy Research Policy Brief 04-08). Excerpt from The Newspaper: www.thenewspaper.com Smile, you're in front of the camera. (2009, November). State Legislatures, 35(2), 11. Retrieved from http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.etsu.edu:The red light camera never lies. (2009, November 13). The direct line. Retrieved from http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.etsu.edu.