design, lower speed limits and more car safety
regulations. The guidance by the Federal
Highway Administration cites speed cameras in
particular as a proven enforcement tool against
hazardous driving.
The Federal Highway Administration’s goal
“is to help state and local transportation
agencies across the country deliver projects
that make streets, highways and bridges safe
and accessible for all users,” agency Deputy
Administrator Stephanie Pollack said. “States
now have more flexibility and funding to make
highway safety improvements.”
Sometimes dubbed “speed traps,” automated
traffic enforcement can rake in millions of dollars
in ticket revenue for local communities but has
spurred backlash and isn’t widely embraced.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
estimates only about 159 communities make
widespread use of speed cameras, even after
the National Transportation Safety Board in
2017 urged greater use of them to deter crashes.
Motorists often complain speed cameras can be
inaccurate, but are almost impossible to dispute
in court. Eight states specifically forbid the use of
speed cameras, while another two dozen or so
have no specific legislation to support their use.
Still, as traffic deaths have spiked up during
the coronavirus pandemic, auto safety groups
including the Governors Highway Safety
Association have increasingly pointed to
automated traffic enforcement as more reliable
and equitable than police traffic stops, which
can pose risks of confrontation between a
motorist and police officer. They released a
checklist last summer aimed at providing a
roadmap to build community support.