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Automated speeding camera tickets in my state are unenforceable civil fines. Folks in the know just ignore them. It's a tax on suckers driving through the area
by tstrimple 3y ago
Automated speeding camera tickets in my state are unenforceable civil fines. Folks in the know just ignore them. It's a tax on suckers driving through the area mostly. There was a whole kerfuffle around the cameras being illegal because they violate the laws on distance notifications required of speed limit changes before sampling the speed, but the city didn't care about that and forced it through pretty quickly regardless. It's clear that these are revenue seeking mechanisms completely detached from road safety.
- JambalayaJim 3y agoEven if the speed cameras don’t have any impact on safety, it’s still a net positive for people living there? Your city government gets a bit more funding. Avoidance of the fine is very easy - just stick to the speed limit. It’s especially nice for people who don’t drive. But the impact of speed cameras is well understood - it does lead to people slowing down. And it turns out speed is incredibly important, even small differences in speed, in the outcome of a car crash.
- tstrimple 3y agoThe biggest issue I see in that case is one of perverse incentives. It's not unheard of for municipalities to combine automated speed cameras with a reduction in yellow light time which does increase the number of accidents in exchange for additional fine revenue for the city. I'm very wary of supporting systems which reward bad behavior so directly from those leading the program. https://ww2.motorists.org/blog/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/ https://ww2.motorists.org/blog/6-cities-that-were-caught-sho...