Red-light cams on 24/7

Red-light cameras will now be watching you 24-7.

The cameras at 140 high-crash intersections across B.C. will now be operating at all times, instead of just six hours a day.

"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," Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, said in a press release.

In 2017, 350,000 crashes were recorded in B.C.,with about 60 per cent at intersections.

Kelowna has five red-light cams, Vernon has one, and there are many in the Lower Mainland.

“The full activation of these cameras is overdue and an important step for safety on some of our busiest roadways,”  said Farnworth.

The cameras take a photo of a vehicle if it enters an intersection after the light turns red. The registered owner is then responsible for the ticket even if they weren't driving. They don't receive penalty points, however.

In Kelowna, cameras are set up at the intersection of Harvey Avenue and Gordon Drive, Harvey Avenue and Spall Road, Harvey Avenue and Cooper Road, Dilworth Drive and Springfield Road, and at Highway 97 and Banks Road.

Data collected by ICBC shows there were 344 collisions at those intersections between 2009 and 2013.

In March, the ministry announced plans to ticket the fastest drivers passing through intersections on red, yellow or green lights.