Initiative profiteer Tim Eyman has a tidy little side business going, running local initiatives to ban red light cameras in small cities throughout the state, but it turns out that once drivers become familiar with the cameras, a sizable majority support them.

According to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the folks who issue those vehicle safety ratings), two-thirds of drivers in large cities with longstanding red light camera programs favor their use for red light enforcement, and 42 percent strongly favor it. Nine out of ten drivers in these cities were aware of the red light camera programs, and 59 percent of this believe they have made intersections safer. Seattle was not included in the study, presumably because our red light camera program is so new, but Portland, OR, was, and according to the study 68% of Portlanders support the cameras.

I know there are some lawmakers are getting a little spooked by vocal red light camera opponents, but this study suggests that if they give it time, and do a slightly better job educating the public, they'll have nothing to worry about.