He did, but his life ended in an accident anyway.
It was around 10 a.m. on Oct. 20 when Ray Hunter's City Cab vehicle entered the intersection at 700 East and 800 South. Jarman, who was the front seat passenger, probably didn't even see the other car coming, his daughter Mary Weyher said. At about 45 mph, an SUV driven by an 18-year-old girl ran a red light and slammed into the cab's passenger side door, killing Jarman.
"His neck broke instantly," Weyher said. "It was horrendous, so awful. I can't even tell you."
The driver of the vehicle said she wasn't paying attention and didn't see the light, according to police. Weyher said the driver hasn't been charged but authorities are reviewing the case.
Jarman's death devastated his family. So much so that the Jarmans, many of whom live in the Salt Lake area, have taken out an ad in The Salt Lake Tribune asking citizens and legislators to support House Bill 219. The PhotoCop bill, sponsored by Roz McGee, D-Salt Lake City, would allow cities to use unmanned cameras to take pictures of speeding vehicles, as well as implement "red light traffic-enforcement systems," which would produce photos or video of vehicles running red lights.
Such devices are allowed now, but must be operated by police officers, making them impractical.
McGee's bill is meant to address criticism that led the 1996 Legislature to restrict the use of the technology. Her bill would forbid PhotoCop vendors from receiving money based on the number of tickets issued, though cities pay to lease the machines through ticket revenue.
Jack Jarman's son, Wally, felt compelled to get involved in the bill after his father's death. He was one of several community activists behind running the ad. Jarman said the idea actually came from Allen Sanderson, who started lobbying for the PhotoCop legislation about three years ago after his cat was run over.
"People are going to see the ad, pick up the phone and call their legislators," Wally Jarman said. "I'm convinced there are a lot of people in Utah that have had similar wrecks, maybe not fatal, but there is a lobby."
The Jarman family ad shows a photo of Jack Jarman dressed in a tuxedo and smiling. Above it reads: "Running red lights killed a thousand Americans last year. Our father was one of them."
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is in favor of the photo radar technology, saying it would help deter drivers from speeding and running red lights.
The nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety urges the use of technologies like PhotoCop. Spokesman Russ Rader said 900 people are killed and 200,000 injured annually in crashes involving drivers running red lights. And one-third of fatal crashes involve speeding.
Nationwide, red-light enforcement is much more popular, with more than 100 cities using it, including Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and New York. Only 15 cities use speed cameras.
There are those in opposition to such legislation, however, including the National Motorists Association.
The Association argues that the cameras don't deter bad driving.
A statement on its Web site reads in part: "With properly posted speed limits and properly installed traffic-control devices, there is no need for camera-based traffic law enforcement devices. Taking a reckless driver's picture does not stop that incident of reckless driving."
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Salt Lake Tribune reporter Heather May contributed to this story.
