MD Senate Votes To Brush Aside Speed Camera Errors

Too lucrative to reform

Earlier this year, a number of lawmakers in Maryland vowed to reform the way speed cameras were operated in the state. Officials were rocked by the revelation that more than 5 percent of photo ticket recipients in Baltimore were likely innocent with lax oversight and faulty photo radar equipment to blame for the bogus citations (view legislative auditor's report). On Monday, the state Senate voted 46-1 to cover up future errors.

"Agencies that use speed have thrown a lot of taxpayer funded resources into fighting against a requirement for secondary evidence of speed," Ron Ely, chairman of the Maryland Drivers Alliance told TheNewspaper. "I think they believe Baltimore's mistake was letting the public have too much information and they are terrified that errors might be proven in their own systems."