Posted on: Monday, March 11, 2002

EDITORIAL
No point in nabbing those petty speeders

Just when we thought the state's system to catch speeders on camera was becoming more reasonable in the face of scrutiny, ridicule and possible demise, a new fiasco emerges.

Two out of three citations issued last month went to motorists who were driving less than 10 mph over the speed limit, a threshold clearly lower than the one typically used by police. That leeway isn't likely to get past state judges, who have been throwing out citations for vehicles going no faster than 9 mph over the posted limit.

Now we can't emphasize enough the need to crack down on truly reckless drivers, particularly drag racers and red-light runners. But going after penny ante speeding violations that do not threaten road safety verges on harassment.

Perhaps the large number of tickets issued for petty speeding suggests people are driving slower overall, and perhaps we can thank the traffic camera program for that. But if the judges aren't penalizing petty speeding, then it makes little sense for the camera system operator ACS State and Local Solutions to do the same. ACS makes $29 for each citation that is paid, not issued.

Of course, the theory could be that a lot of people won't take the time and bother to go to court to have their "minimal" ticket dismissed and simply pay the fine. That approach would border on cynical.

It makes a lot more sense for the traffic camera operators to observe the same threshold as the courts and police, unless they want to bog down the judicial system. More than 2,500 tickets issued on O'ahu in February went to motorists driving 6 to 9 mph over the limit, and could be dismissed.

Of course, it's possible that some judges will observe a lower speeding threshold and the cash will flow in. Ultimately, though, such a shift would only serve to set off more public furor, and there's been quite enough of that.