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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."

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