Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. If you are planning to travel by car, you must pay extra attention to your speed because many roads across the United States are equipped with speed cameras. Those who speed will receive fines, with some places charging fines as high as $500.
According to statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), there are 333 communities in the United States using cameras to monitor speeding behavior.
States with speed cameras installed, as summarized by IIHS, include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
It’s important to note that not all areas in the aforementioned states have speed cameras. In states like Arkansas, Kentucky, and Indiana, speed cameras are only used in highway construction zones; Illinois and Pennsylvania allow speed cameras in their largest cities (Chicago and Philadelphia) as well as highway construction zones; Hawaii permits the use of speed cameras statewide; and San Francisco is the only city or town in California using speed cameras. To see which areas in the states mentioned above have cameras installed, please refer to https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/speed/speed-camera-communities
IIHS states that since the implementation of the first red light safety camera program in New York City in 1992, they have been tracking the progress of communities implementing or canceling red light and speed safety camera programs through authoritative media. Sometimes, jurisdictions and vendors launch or complete contracts without media reporting, and such cases may not be reflected in IIHS’s summarized lists.
According to USA Today, fines vary by state and depend on the severity of the violation. However, many states do not deduct points from driving licenses because the fines are sent to the registered vehicle owner. In some cases, the vehicle owner may not be the one driving above the speed limit.
In Maryland, the fine standards are as follows:
– 12-15 mph over the limit: $40 fine.
– 16-19 mph over the limit: $70 fine.
– 20-29 mph over the limit: $120 fine.
– 30-39 mph over the limit: $230 fine.
– 40 mph over the limit or more: $425 fine.
In Philadelphia,
– 11-19 mph over the limit: $100 fine.
– 20-29 mph over the limit: $125 fine.
– 30 mph over the limit or more: $150 fine.
Fines in San Francisco range from $50 (11-15 mph over the limit) to $500 (100 mph over the limit or more). According to the Louisville Courier Journal, fines in Kentucky can go up to $500.
IIHS states that speed cameras are “an important tool” that help curb speeding behavior, thereby reducing the number of traffic accidents and casualties.