FAYETTEVILLE — If drivers in Fayetteville are caught running a red light, they need to be prepared to pay. Cameras at Sycamore Dairy Road and Bragg Boulevard are ready to take drivers' pictures.

When drivers run a red light, their license plate is recorded, and they receive a $50 ticket in the mail.

"It's a safety thing, not just to fine people," says Traffic Signal Engineer Ted Faulkner. "It's pure safety."

Luther Necessary was one of the motorists who got caught on tape.

"It was my fault, basically, because I was trying to get somewhere in a hurry," he says.

Ten cameras will be up and running in Fayetteville by May.

Charlotte was the first city in North Carolina to use the newtraffic cameras. In the first eight months, the number of accidents caused by red light violators dropped 38 percent.

The cameras do not come as a complete surprise. A sign on Bragg Boulevard warns drivers what is up ahead.

Most motorists give the traffic cameras a green light.

"You might as well take a little more time and get there a little later instead of putting other people in danger," Necessary says.

Police say the cameras will free them up from writing tickets and allow them to respond to other calls in an effort to make city streets safer.

Warnings will go out until Tuesday. On Wednesday, a ticket will be sent to drivers' homes.

The citation does not add points to driving records, but if drivers do not pay the ticket, the late fee is another $50.