Drive Time
Traffic camera debate a two-way street

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

Judging by the number of calls to Drive Time this week, a lot of drivers in Honolulu, even those who say they are law-abiding, have a lot of suspicions and outrage about the state's new use of photo cameras to catch traffic violators.

They don't say it outright, but you can hear a certain underlying tone when they reach out to complain about the program.

"What gives the state the right? This is an invasion of my privacy. They're just trying to make more money for the government. The speed limits are too low, anyway. Sometimes, it's safer to speed up and run a red light. How come the cops aren't more worried about real criminals?"

That's just some of the, shall we say, attitude people are bringing to this latest technological intrusion into what many see as an American right to live life in the fast lane.

Hey, I'm no apologist for the government. I'm a lifelong liberal raised on the old "Question Authority" mentality. I'm deeply suspicious about all new government initiatives that erode individual liberties.

But just for the moment, I'm willing to give this photo stuff the benefit of the doubt. Only, I'm warning you guys at DOT: Don't push it too far; there's a lot of pent-up resentment in Honolulu drivers. You want to see road rage? Try making everyone crawl along at the posted 45-mph speed limit on Moanalua Freeway.

Let's start with basics. The state says it's doing this with just one thing in mind — safety. OK, I believe it. Statistics show pretty clearly that speeding and red-light running, the two targets of the photo-enforcement programs, are major sources of serious accidents in Hawai'i. Moreover, photo enforcement seems to work. In admittedly selective data available on the subject, speeding and other infractions seem to drop dramatically once people run the risk of being caught on camera.

So what's the problem?

Plenty, apparently. Just about every aspect of American culture tells us to hurry up, go faster. Cars equal independence, and independence is the source of American pride. Richard Petty is a national hero. Driving overpowered cars is as American as the SUV.

So when somebody tries to tell us to put the brakes on all that, we squeal. We see Big Brother and money-making conspiracies. We stand up for civil rights and against invasion of privacy. We assert our right to drive like we please.

But most people really do understand. A nationwide survey of 6,000 drivers found that 69 percent think photo enforcement is a good way to stop speeding and intersection problems. Among women, the rate goes up to 84 percent. In other words, people will agree to slow down if they believe it's in everyone's best interest, not just the government's.

The state has to do a better job educating people about the program. People need to know what the speed limits are — and what the state's threshold for issuing tickets is, something the state has been reluctant to disclose. They need to know who will get to see the photos (police) and who won't (lawyers).

The public needs to know how many tickets are being issued every day and how much money the private company operating the system is making off each one. (And they need to be sure the system is immune from political and financial chicanery). People have a right to know how

photo-enforced citations will affect their traffic abstracts and their auto insurance rates. They need to believe that current speed limits are useful and just.

Until that information starts to flow more freely, a lot of people are going to be suspicious and outraged about this camera thing — and rightly so.

Mike Leidemann writes about transportation issues. Call him at 525-5460, write him at The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802 or e-mail mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.