In some places in CO, they tend to shorten the length of the yellow light so that you DO get caught in the red light. Rather than a 6 second yellow, they adjust it to a 4 second yellow. It’s dangerous to have that shortened caution light, but it does increase the states revenue.
That’s what has been found in instance after instance, in multiple states.
What advocates of these red light cameras don’t want to admit is that most of these systems are not run by the government sovereign that installs them - the actual operation is outsourced to some company. The company has a direct profit motive in seeing that as many people get tickets as possible - and then the company gives a cut to the sovereign that has the enforcement jurisdiction over the intersections or roads.
One of the ways these companies accomplish this is to shorten the yellow.
The whole thing is blatantly unconstitutional and corrupt.