Commentary: Legitimate privacy fears undermine legitimate, life-saving speed camera programs

The battle over speed and red-light cameras is coming to a head as concerns over broader surveillance and abuse of Flock devices is prompting backlash around the country. At the federal level, lawmakers have proposed a bill that would outlaw the cameras under the guise of protecting privacy.

But the problem, writes Ren Zaro Fitzgerald in Streetsblog USA, is that traffic enforcement cameras do work. In San Francisco, speeding dropped by 72% at locations where cameras were installed. "Speed- and red-light cameras prevent hundreds of road deaths every year, but they collect far less data, and under more-strict regulations, than Flock’s devices. For instance, traffic enforcement cameras do not collect data except when prompted to do so by an active violation."

For Fitzgerald, "Increased conflation between privately operated license plate readers and standard traffic enforcement could increase public support for anti-speed enforcement bills – including the ones that won’t rein in Flock at all." For people concerned about road safety, it's key to help ensure that people see the difference between surveillance and effective enforcement. "Traffic enforcement cameras deter reckless driving by capturing specific illegal behaviors. Flock cameras watch everyone, everywhere, all of the time."