Speed cameras reduce speeding, traffic collision, NTSB says
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – New research shows speeding is almost as big a factor in deadly crashes as drunk driving.
Federal regulators say nearly a third of deadly crashes from 2005 to 2014 were related to speed. Now a government group is calling for using more speed cameras.
The NTSB identifies more than 100,000 deaths due to speeding between 2005 and 2014, which is almost as many killed in alcohol-involved crashes.
The safety board is calling for expanding the use of speed cameras. Only 14 states and Washington, D.C. currently use them. North Carolina is not one of the states that use speed cameras.
The NTSB says speed cameras have reduced speeding and traffic collisions in other cities across the United States.
A 2013 study by the UNC Highway Safety Research Center states automated enforcement such as speed cameras have been restricted in North Carolina because of legal concerns and the lack of public support.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol says they’ve never considered using automated enforcement. Instead they use state of the art radar technology and focus on anti-speeding campaigns.
“Speeding is something the highway patrol, along with other law enforcement agencies, take very seriously,” said Sgt. Michael Baker. “There’s that old slogan ‘speed kills’ and unfortunately it does.”
North Carolina lawmakers have proposed several bills for speed cameras in areas such as work zones and school zones in the past, but those bills never got out of committees.
Courtesy: David Hurst
