honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, January 7, 2002

Editorial
More traffic camera education is needed

It's easy to dismiss critics of the new photo traffic enforcement program as selfish scofflaws demanding their right to speed and run red lights as they whine about "Big Brother" intrusion. But legitimate questions have been raised in the bubbling debate over how the privately operated hidden camera system will work and whether it will be fair.

Ideally, our roads should be safer with cameras providing a more prolific, equitable and efficient way of catching speeders and red-light runners. But there's cause for concern.

Motorists are understandably worried about how they will adapt to driving in areas where the speed limit is unreasonably low. Hawai'i has among the lowest speed limits in the nation. And how about penalizing slow drivers? Oftentimes, drivers are speeding up to pass sluggish motorists holding up traffic.

Apparently not everyone caught speeding will receive a citation. So exactly what sort of evidence leads to a fine? The cameras don't always snap a clear photo of the license plate. What happens to cars and motorcycles that don't have front license plates? Do they get off free or is the digital camera smart enough to catch their tails?

Is this a zero-tolerance system or can motorists go, say, 5 mph above the speed limit without getting tagged? And how does all this affect insurance premiums? We'd sure like to know, along with tens of thousands of others.

Now, more than ever, the state Department of Transportation needs to answer these questions. Perhaps the agency should publish a highly visible public notice with a Q & A on the program. DOT spokeswoman Marilyn Kali has repeatedly stressed that the program is not a means to raise revenues but to reduce the number of road fatalities.

But it's disingenuous to deny any financial incentive. Speeders have to pay a minimum of $27 plus $5 for each mile per hour over the posted speed limit. Affiliated Computer Services USA, which is operating the system, gets a cut of each fine. The rest goes to the judiciary and the DOT.

If the photo traffic enforcement program is truly altruistic, then spend the profits on road improvements and other commuter benefits. But first, spell out the details of the program so we don't have mass confusion on the roads.