While some states and cities are embracing automated traffic enforcement as a tool for improving road safety, others are banning the technology over concerns that the programs are designed for profit rather than public benefit.
The growing movement to use automated traffic cameras to enforce road rules is coming up against opposition from some local officials and drivers who see the programs as a “cash grab” rather than a true safety effort. To date, at least eight U.S. states have laws banning speed cameras. Some states are regulating camera vendors to ensure they are not profiting from citations and that revenue is going to pedestrian safety projects.
However, cameras have been shown to work. New York City issued over 400,000 tickets to drivers who block or park in bus lanes since its automated enforcement program began. In Philadelphia, excessive speeding dropped by 90 percent after the city installed cameras along one particularly dangerous road segment.
According to Kamron Clifford of mobility analytics firm Arity, “While speed cameras can be frustrating, they are a proven tool for reducing traffic fatalities and raising awareness of risky driving behaviors.” But road design, pedestrian infrastructure, and other interventions are also key parts of the broader effort to eliminate road deaths.
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