The Dayton City Commission has approved the use of a series of cameras that will issue tickets to speeders and legislation that will authorize impounding vehicles of repeat offenders

Phase one of the program will put cameras at Gettysburg Avenue between Beerman and Fairbanks avenues, Gettysburg at Cornell Drive, U.S. 35 at Abbey Road, West Third Street between Hatfield and Alder streets and Keowee Street between Fourth and Bacon streets. Warnings will be sent by mail to speeding drivers starting July 1. A month later, the city will send citations and a fine for $85.

Fifty-five dollars will go to the city while $30 will go to Redflex, the company that administers the program.

The commission also approved legislation that allows the police to tow vehicles that have at least two unpaid tickets for parking, red light or speed violations caught on camera.

In the weeks after the first phase of the program is completed, the city will install cameras on Smithville Road between Fourth and Merrydale streets, on Smithville between Argella Avenue and Marimont Drive, East Third Street between Bates and Cliton streets, Salem Avenue between Otterbein Avenue and Rugby Road and Keowee Street between Stanley Avenue and Embury Park drive.

The locations were chosen after a five-month study by the city to identify problem areas for speeding. The cameras are about 100 feet away form intersections to make drivers slow down and prevent crashes in intersections.

Since cameras that issued citations for running red lights were installed in 2003, crashes caused by running red lights fell 35%, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said. He hopes to see the number of crashes further reduced.

"The purpose of using red light and speed enforcement cameras is to prevent accidents and save lives," Chief Biehl said. "The very presence of the cameras has been proven to change people's dangerous driving habits."

A speeding offense will be detected by sensors that are buried in the pavement that will activate the cameras. The camera will snap a series of three photos of the offending vehicle: one of the rear of the vehicle, a close up of the rear license plate, and a wider image of the entire roadway. A video of the violation is also recorded.