Speed Cameras Not Popular in Arizona

In an effort to make catching and punishing speeders easier, some states like Arizona have put up cameras that can detect speed and issue tickets via mail. Drivers, however, don’t like it one bit.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 12 states, 52 communities and Washington DC all have cameras set up to detect speeders. Arizona, however, is the only one that uses it on major highways.

The system uses radar to detect speed and a camera to take a photograph of the driver’s license plate. It records speeders going 11+ miles an hour over the speed limit. A ticket is sent, along with a fine of $181.50, to the registered driver’s address.

Drivers have retaliated by covering up the camera, preventing it from “seeing.” Drivers have put Silly String and Post-it notes on the lens, as well as decorated it by putting it in a box over the Christmas season. Apparently drivers feel that “Big Brother” doesn’t have the right to catch them speeding.

Does the System Work?
Initially, Arizona implemented the speed camera system in an effort to bring in revenues to the state. It was estimated that the program would bring in $90 million its first fiscal year. To date, it has only earned $19 million, and only about 38% of the issued violations have been paid.

There’s no good reason not to pay the fine. The program was designed so that the speed violation will not add points to a driver’s license, and it doesn’t make car insurance rates go up. Typically, multiple speeding offenses will make auto insurance go up, so it behooves a driver to pay this speed camera fine.

The state expected easy pickings it seems. However, about half of the unpaid fines are unpaid because drivers want to fight them in court, an unexpected result that is causing courts to clog up and court costs to rise.

Those Against the Program
Drivers who dislike the speed cameras have gone so far as to organize themselves. The Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar organization is fighting to get speed cameras removed in the state by protesting and fighting new legislation. So far, they have not been successful.

While drivers may not like being clocked speeding and then receiving tickets in the mail, it is doing some good. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, fatal collisions on state highways are the lowest they have been in 15 years, a fact the state attributes to both the speed cameras and stricter drunk driving laws.

Will the speed cameras stay up on Arizona highways? Only time will tell. If the system can start to bring in the predicted revenues, the state very well could benefit from the surge in income, with so many drivers on the road. On the other hand, if drivers in Arizona continue to be so vocal about the issue, lawmakers may back down and find another way to reduce speeding and fatal car crashes on the highways.