Keeping road safety is a main concern for lawmakers and law enforcement alike, and drivers have to attend to traffic tickets and violations. From traffic tickets to automated camera technology, traffic enforcement ensures that the lives of all road users are kept safe from harm while on the road.
In order to help law enforcement enforce laws and regulations on the roads and traffic, more and more states are looking at how cameras and other automated traffic technologies can help monitor the roads and enforce the repercussions of breaking the law. Read on to learn about the new law and road regulations to address penalties.
Automated traffic programs save lives: using cameras and new technology
Automated camera programs implies the use of camera technology, such as speeding or red light cameras, to follow if vehicles are abiding by the laws of the road. This technology is trylu useful as it means that police officers do not have to be physically at the road or even present to catch someone not obeying the traffic laws, and ensures constant surveillance at all times.
By having speeding cameras set up in particular, this helps to make sure that drivers are less probably to break speed limits if they know they are not over the surveillance. In addition, having automated technology like this helps to free up police resources and minimize potential bias in police stops on the road, as the cameras objectively determine who is speeding or running a red light.
Milwaukee is piloting a new program
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lawmakers are pushing to implement the first automated camera program in the city to curb reckless driving on the roads. The proposed bill has been dubbed the ‘Safe Roads Save Lives Act’ and is being pushed by state senators LaTonya Johnson and Dora Drake. The automated program would follow both speeding vehicles and red-light violations, but would not take into account AI-monitoring of illegal parking.
“I think people want to feel safe, be able to drop their kids off to school or the bus stop, without worries about someone driving recklessly,” Drake said in a statement
The program would see the installation of cameras in high-risk traffic area all along the city. Up to five cameras would be allowed in each aldermanic district, and a public campaign would be required in order to presen all information to people about the cameras before they could be allowed to be installed. The Act forms part of the Vision Zero Action Plan from the City of Milwaukee, which aims for the city to eliminate all road traffic fatalities and serious traffic injuries by 2037. In Wisconsin, traffic fines can start as low as $30 but can reach to $800. In the case you were caught speeding by the cameras, more of these fines are expected to be issued.
Milwaukee joins other cities with automated driving programs
Other cities along the country have been motivating automated driving programs to grow public safety on the roads. New York City is particularly notable for its automated driving programs. The city boasts over 2,000 speeding cameras across 750 school areas. The city has also amplificated its automated program in work zones in construction areas, and bridges to make sure the safety of workers:
“Governor Hochul has said since day one of this budget process that public safety is her top priority,” said a spokesperson for Hochul’s office. “Expanding this successful program to MTA Bridges and Tunnels is one more way the Governor is working to improve safety on our roads and bridges for workers and travelers alike.”
Connecticut also began to enforce automated camera programs at the begining of this year. The pilot program initially began in 2023, and with the program seeing mass success in reducing speeding violations, it has been officially implemented by the Department of Transportation this year. The state will also be enforcing red-light cameras as part of its automated driving program. Nevertheless, nowadays still being nine states in the US that prohibit the use of this technology.