When Speed Cameras Shut Down, Motorists Respond with a Lead Foot

As speed camera programs are being shut down across the nation, it is not at all surprising what develops in their absence. When the enforcement is gone, motorists quickly revert to unsafe speeds. The Pima County Board of Supervisors reports that during the final week their cameras were active, they caught 634 speeding drivers who exceed the posted speed limit by 11 mph or more. In the week after the program was shut down, the sensors–unable to issue citations–were still accumulating data, revealing nearly three times as many speeding drivers compared to the week before. Clearly, drivers responded to the shutdown with a lead foot.

Now, county officials have requested that the Sheriff’s Department increase their speed enforcement throughout that area.  Law enforcement cannot be everywhere. The best solution to effect a lasting slowdown is by positioning radar speed signs at critical locations. Camera sensors inform law enforcement of behaviors, but driver feedback signs inform drivers of their own behaviors so they can bring themselves back to a safe speed.  They encourage self-policing. Better informed drivers make safer decisions.

Charlie Robeson: Radarsign™ Co-founder & Director of Sales and Marketing