Unreliable Speed Cameras Line Government Pockets

Someone should tell Pete Buttigieg that local governments use speed cameras more for revenue than for safety.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg's new National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) promotes speed cameras nationwide to make our roads safer. But research shows that speed cameras are subject to error and actually end up serving as a means to generate government revenue.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) cited the rise in fatal car crashes, with an 18.4 percent rise in 2021 compared to 2020 according to DOT statistics, as the reason for new safety measures. The DOT wants to take a more active role in centralizing highway safety, with one of the policies in this strategy promoting speed cameras. 

NRSS argues that the implementation of speed cameras is a "proven safety countermeasure." The Federal Highway Administration cites research compiled by the Virginia Department of Transportation that shows speed cameras reduce car crashes after they are implemented.

However, the cameras can commit errors when it comes to actually ticketing the right offenders. This can be a problem for drivers—but a windfall for enforcers.

In Chicago, where speed cameras are abundant, the camera program improperly gave out over $2.4 million in fines from 2013 to 2015. Using a random sample analysis, the Chicago Tribune estimated the number of bad tickets to be somewhere around 110,000. The erroneous fines were issued in areas without proper speed limit signs or during times when the cameras should have been turned off. (Cameras near parks and schools operate within a specific timeframe.) The Chicago Tribune found that over half the cameras in use were giving out faulty speeding tickets.

These speed camera accuracy issues are not limited to Chicago. In Washington, D.C., a 2014 report from the D.C. Office of Inspector General found that ticket writers made arbitrary decisions when a camera captured more than one vehicle, and they didn't know which one was speeding. The report stated in "certain instances the process for conclusively identifying the violating vehicle depends too much on an individual reviewer's judgment and, therefore, is not sufficiently precise." One speed camera reviewer told the inspector general's office that they usually ticket "the closer one."

Because of this, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General even suggested that D.C. discontinue the speed camera program, but the cameras are still in use.

Unsurprisingly, the misuse of speed cameras has also become a massive source of revenue for local government. In Chicago, 300 of the city's speed cameras would bring in about $15 million each year. 

In March, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lowered the speed limit threshold for speed cameras to trigger a citation. Cameras now trigger when a driver goes over the limit by 6 miles per hour, rather than 10 miles per hour, the previous threshold.

According to the Chicago Tribune, in the first two months since Lightfoot's new speed limit rule, the city racked up $11.3 million in fines. The total tickets issued in those two months totaled 327,447. Compared to those same months in 2019, the city only issued 19,480 speeding tickets, making an almost 17-fold increase. 

Although the intention behind Buttigieg's new policy is to create safer roads, speed cameras will likely be better at generating large amounts of cash for local governments. As for the alleged "spike" in fatal car crashes, Reason's Jacob Sullum has explained that we don't yet know whether the upward trend that began in 2020 (not 2021, contrary to media reports) is here to stay, and that regardless, policy proposals should be judged on their merits, not the severity of the problem they're meant to address.  

 

Comments

[Chumby]

The large spike in crashes between 2020 and 2021 may have had something to with lockdowns being lifted after the election allowing more motorists on the roads. Maybe. Possibly.

[con_fuse9]

The lockdown + plus the lifting of the lockdown seemed to have caused .... or rather been coincident with lots of negative behavior. Increase in crime, increase in speeding, increase in riots at the Capitol (had to slide that one in).
Speeding cameras, at best, would be a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

[m4019597]

There was a period in 2020 that only the worst drivers were on the road, or so it seemed. There was zero enforcement because cops were (rightfully) terrified to stop someone and catch the Wuhan coronavirus.

Even after there was a vaccine, cops were hesitant to take it, many being young and healthy or had previously been infected by coronavirus. They continued to be lax in enforcement to avoid infections, even as more traffic built up.

Add in more delivery drivers on the road constantly looking at mobile devices, and more crimes deterring the use of mass transit, and there more dangerous roads.

Two years of lousy enforcement has led to some tragic consequences.

[Vernon Depner]

Let's Go Landon.

[Balloon maker]

Got one in Arizona about 10 years ago. Heard from a friend you didn’t have to pay them. So I didn’t. Nothing else happened.

[con_fuse9]

Because in the US they cannot identify the driver, and the ticket is on the car (thus car owner) most places its like a parking ticket. Next time your in Arizona you might get towed or booted. Note in some countries - notably Germany - the pictures are often from the front of the car and they can identify the driver. There was a story about a man being kissed by his girlfriend on camera. He got an additional ticket for not paying attention to the road and of course his wife was pissed.

[Demosthenes0]

Yep, most of western Europe uses speed cameras successfully with dramatically fewer cops "needed" to patrol the roads the way the U.S. does. If Europe can make it work, so can we. In Europe, the picture is often both front and rear, with a picture of the driver. And if it's your car that gets ticketed, but you claim it's not you in the picture, you're still responsible for the ticket for whoever you let drive your car, unless you point the Traffic Control to the right person who agrees. I wonder if our fascination in the U.S. of having cops "showing the flag" out on the roads is a nostalgia for the days of the Wild West. A good camera system work just fine, are cheaper, and safer for all involved.

[Zombie Apocalypse]

US speed limits haven't changed much since auto manufacturers were producing 5000lb cars with bias-ply tires, drum brakes, no seat belts or airbags, and solid steel dashboards. Cars have changed radically since then, but speed limits haven't. Excess speed isn't the issue; the fact that any idiot can get a driver's license with little or no driver's training is. Germany makes the Autobahn work, NOT by limiting speed, but by vigorously ticketing driver's who ride in the passing lane impeding other drivers.

[con_fuse9]

Washington DC was trying for zero pedestrian deaths...
They got an increase, so they upped the fines on the speeding cameras and they have hidden limits on the cameras. Weirdly they haven't achieved zero yet. Go figure.
In neighboring Maryland, you have to go 12 over to get a ticket. It was 11 over when it was Montgomery County pilot program (I got a 36 in a 25 on a road that was 35mph.... just conveniently lowered). Bottom line, in Maryland I know the rules and there are enough apps that warn me about the speed traps, and the current speed limit.
BTW, 99mph (they apparently don't register triple digit speeds) is still the same fine and no points on your license.
A few more issues.
Maryland had a law that said you needed two pictures, taken .200 seconds apart to issue the ticket. People who did analysis on the pictures could tell if the speed was reasonable or not (was the driver really going 15 over). The "courts" - not really a court, began to rule that the images were not taken at the time of the speeding, but sometime later and thus could not be used to evaluate the speed at the time of the alleged infraction - so "trust us, your guilty" became the motto. Till someone pointed out that the images had to be from the time of the infraction... Well, the language got "adjusted" - so we are back to "trust us, your guilty"

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Don't get me started on Vision Zero MPH.

[MaverickNH]

Our Southern NH town voted to reject Federal money to install speeding cameras all over our city. We have a sense of fair hunting - a trail camera cannot fire a gun to shoot passing game. Same thing…

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

I suppose a true libertarian solution is to eliminate speed limits and traffic lights. Then we could prosecute and sue drivers who kill and destroy property. Fun.

[kevrob]

Nope. It's Sell the roads! Then you have to follow the new owners' rules.

[The Team Struggling]

"Although the intention behind Buttigieg's new policy is to create safer roads..."

Assumes facts not in evidence. Wait until the statistics come in (10 years from now) and show an unfortunate racial disparity. Enough time will have passed for the whole "racist roads" pablum to sound fresh again. Funny how "racist eminent domain" hasn't become a thing.

[John F. Carr]

Photo enforcement laws are normally written by or with heavy input from the camera industry, which crafts laws that make it essentially illegal for cameras to be used for any purpose other than revenue raising. You do get an occasional real ticket out of a ticket camera out West. In most jurisdictions you can speed as many times as you want and they can't take your license away or raise your insurance rates. As long as you pay the tickets.

[steakman]

Speed cameras are racist. Here is how to connect those dots: Rich people don't worry about speed camera tickets, as they can just keep paying the "pocket change" fines and keep driving. It impacts poor people much more, as one fine can throw their entire household budget off for a month. In the U.S., blacks make up 21% of the people in poverty, despite being less than 15% of the population. Ban racist speed cameras.

[Bubba Jones]

6 Cities That Were Caught Shortening Yellow Light Times For Profit
https://ww2.motorists.org/blog/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/

[jimc5499]

It's like Pennsylvania going to cameras taking pictures of car license plates to bill for Turnpike tolls. All of the sudden there are a lot of unreadable license plates. Now you have the Liberals wanting to not allow the Police to stop a vehicle for things like a burned out bulb or maybe an unreadable license plate. How long before people figure out that they just need to make their license plate unreadable to avoid the tickets?

[Motorist]

DOT just released the Jan-Sep 2020 vs Jan-Sep 2021 YoY change in fatalities.

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813240

The increase is 12%, which nearly exactly coincides with the 11.7% increase in total vehicle miles traveled. This is unsurprising considering the lockdowns in 2020 reducing the amount of driving. Of course this obvious explanation is omitted from all the press on this so-called "crisis". It's all a big psyop to manufacture to ram speed cameras down our throats. No one tops the government when it comes to lying with statistics. Fuck Buttigieg.

[hakuna matata]

Living in the city of Chicago I, who identify as a libertarian, am for more speed cameras. And also for better light timing and flexible speed limits based on time of day and/or congestion. There are too many horrible drivers who really do cause safety issues for other drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

As pointed out most of the "errors" identified in the Tribune article were due to ticketing rules, not accuracy. The program goes on and there do not appear to be systematic technical issues with the program.

Current data point to the cameras being effective in Chicago. https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/01/11/uic-study-speed-cams-save-lives-but-drivers-in-poc-communities-get-more-tickets/

The US does need to update its automobile safety regulations. Electric cars make today's issues even worse as the batteries add several hundred pounds to vehicles. Europe is far ahead of the US in safety regulations. Perhaps we can adapt those to the USA?

This is another boob bait for "libertarian bubbas" article. There's a lot of room for discussion about speed cameras and their role in safety, but this article doesn't even attempt to address them. Another example: automated enforcement reduces personal interaction with police.

[Motorist]

There's also a lot of room for discussion on how cameras are a Libertarian non-starter because their use requires ignoring most Constitutional due process protections. Not sure what strange kind of "Libertarian" you are who would gladly consent to the disregard of most of his rights for, at best, a modicum of personal safety.

[hakuna matata]

At one time I would have agreed with you. Seeing them in action my opinion has changed. From a legal perspective, these tickets are allowed. The tickets are issued to car owners, not drivers. These speed cameras don't have the same opportunities to manipulate the outcomes as red light cameras (which I oppose). I've gotten a single ticket since the cameras have been around. These tickets are not hard to avoid. Waze even announces the camera locations. To me the "my civil rights" crowd today are about as persuasive as RFK Jr's rant about the ability to hide in attics in the past.

[Motorist]

I guess you support civil forfeiture too because the government prosecutes your property, not you? Again, not sure what kind of Libertarian finds respect for the right to service of process, witness confrontation, an attorney, a hearing in real court with a neutral judge, rules of evidence, proof beyond a reasonable doubt, trial by jury, etc. unpersuasive. Oh but it's okay "from a legal perspective" lol lick more boots dude.

[hakuna matata]

I'm against civil forfeiture. There's a lot of difference between taking thousands of dollars in forfeiture than $100 for driving too fast. They're not as comparable as you present.

In Chicago there are lots of cameras already and more are being added all the time. There's a major push to install more license plate readers especially on the highways to catch highway gang shooters. As cars get "smarter" there's only going to be more data collected. Do I like all that? Not really. Is there a way to make major changes? Not really. Again, these tickets are easily avoided. And the tickets can be appealed.

Of all the shitty things from a civil liberties or economic perspective that Chicago government does, speed camera issues are at the bottom of my concerns. Excessive speed really is an issue in the city. These shitty drivers rob other innocent people of their civil liberties.

[American Mongrel]

Welp, since the cops are afraid to pull people over because of corona or uppity coons (that they might have to shoot), we need another plan.
The way people have been driving lately is beyond retarded. I consistently drive 8 over on surface streets, and I'm getting passed like I was an old lady on a sunday drive.

[retiredfire]

Peter-puffer Ballgag knows full well that speed cameras are more for revenue than safety.
He's a commie. Lying comes second nature to them.
The party responsible for 60,000,000 babies murdered doesn't care about saving lives.

[Tionico]

Many crashes are the result of one pigheaded slowpoke blocking the left lane, and traffic struggling to get round the roadhogger. When limite are artificially low, which is most of them, this happens far more requently, as EVERYONE out ther eknows the faster speed is safe.

The three West Cost states have limited big trucks to 55 or 60 mph everywhere. So there are ALWAYS mulitiple rigs poking along at an unsafely slow speed, balling up traffic behind them, creating crunch points as the right lane traffic tries to merge left into a long line of cars tavelling at the higher posted car limit. Since even the 65 speed is ridiculously low for non-truck traffic, and some cars WILL be travelling at SAFE speed rather than posted, speed camers will not lower crash rates. Move east one state from any of the three coastal ones, the posted limtis are 76 e=and even 80 no difference for trucks. These states DO NOT have higher crash rates, in fact their rates involving heavy trucks are far lower, as they can now legally travel at the same speed as everyone else.
Yes, I've been travelling at 80mph in texas I 10) and beenpassed by a big rig doing the posted 85.

The Butt Gig needs to wise up. He's grandstanding.

[Liberty Lover]

Unreliable Speed Cameras Line Government Pockets

Municipalities know that, as a matter of fact it is there only purpose.
It has nothing to do with safety.

[Aussie01]

Here in Australia they have led to more close calls and accidents then they solved. They are set to 2kph over. Everyone spends all their time looking at their speedo instead of the road. Also here you are guilty until proven innocent with camera fines and they are impossible to get to court. Drivers can rack up enough fines and points to have lost their licence before the first fine arrives in the mail. If you speak up against them you are "anti safety" or a "hoon". The cameras are also often set up in obvious revenue raising positions (down hills, overtaking lanes ect) and never where safety could be improved (school zones or intersections). They are also set up in plain looking and commercial vehicles to hide them. Australians used to flash their brights to inform other drivers about the cameras. Then the authorities made that illegal aswell. Fight them while you can and keep real cops on the roads so they can also be available for other duties.