Skip to main content

Survey finds speed, red light cameras divide Americans

A new survey from free legal information website FindLaw.com found that 52 per cent of Americans support the use of radar speed cameras, while 48 per cent oppose them. Advocates say the cameras increase safety, but opponents contend they are often little more than revenue grabs by communities seeking to fill their local coffers. Interestingly, there is a split between men and women on the issue – a majority of women support the use of speed cameras while a majority of men oppose it. Ohio recently adopted a
March 12, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A new survey from free legal information %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal website Visit Findlaw website false http://www.findlaw.com/ false false%> found that 52 per cent of Americans support the use of radar speed cameras, while 48 per cent oppose them.
 
Advocates say the cameras increase safety, but opponents contend they are often little more than revenue grabs by communities seeking to fill their local coffers.  Interestingly, there is a split between men and women on the issue – a majority of women support the use of speed cameras while a majority of men oppose it.
 
Ohio recently adopted a law requiring the presence of a law enforcement officer when a speeding ticket is issued, effectively banning automated speed cameras. Nationwide, however, the 7120 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the number of communities using radar speed cameras increased from 115 in 2011 to 137 in 2014.
 
This is in contrast to the use of cameras that enforce red light violations at intersections. The use of such cameras is decreasing, and FindLaw found that Americans oppose the use of red light cameras by 56 to 44 per cent.
 
"The landscape of jurisdictions using automated cameras for traffic citations is changing constantly, due to decisions by courts, voters, legislators and city halls," said Stephanie Rahlfs, attorney-editor at %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal FindLaw.com Visit Findlaw website false http://www.findlaw.com/ false false%>. "If you drive across the country, you might encounter a red light camera in one city, a speed camera in another city, and neither in other cities. It's always advisable for motorists to be aware of the applicable traffic laws wherever they travel."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Redflex launches high definition ANPR at Intertraffic
    March 24, 2014
    Redflex is showcasing its latest technologies for enforcement and road safety here at Intertraffic. The company is launching its robust and unobtrusive RedflexAnpr high definition automatic number plate recognition system. Saying it is ideal for a wide range of applications from car park monitoring and restricted lane monitoring to tolling, travel time monitoring and surveillance.
  • Ertico launches ITS standardisation newsletter
    July 2, 2013
    To ensure that ITS stakeholders and end users maintain an awareness of the European and international ITS standardisation that plays a key role developing specifications and norms for future services and products, Ertico-ITS Europe has launched its ITS standardisation newsletter which provides news, background information and discussions about ITS standardisation topics. Published every 3 months, it includes stakeholder interviews to provide first-hand information and an event listing.
  • Italy to stage COMPASS finale
    November 29, 2013
    ITS Italy will host the final event of the European COMPASS (Optimised CO-Modal PASSenger Transport for reducing carbon emissions) project. The 25-month project examined how social, economical, environmental and technological changes will affect transport and derived the key challenges for future policy and planning. Its results will be delivered at the final conference on 13 November in Rome and will include recommendations on improving data collection in passenger transport. The draft programme c
  • Innovative Technology showcases Smart Payout recycler
    March 20, 2018
    Innovative Technology is showcasing the Smart Payout, with the claim it provides superior note recycling and unrivalled mixed denomination bank note recycling. A 70-note ‘true’ mixed denomination recycler, the Smart Payout can store all denominations from a given currency, eliminating coin starvation and reducing the coin float level required to keep machines operational. Auto-centering technology straightens notes before reading to maximise cash efficiency. Innovative Technology says that by utilising note