Running a red light, say, 0-2s after it's just turned red is much, much, much safer than one that's been red for minutes already. But these laws don't prevent

Running a red light, say, 0-2s after it's just turned red is much, much, much safer than one that's been red for minutes already. But these laws don't prevent the latter, since those are usually oblivious or impaired drivers. They just find a way to monetize the former. Which isn't in itself wrong -- it just sets up these perverse incentives that history has shown various jurisdictions cannot handle without transparency.