Speed camera followup

Techdirt reports that Pinal County here in AZ has ditched its speed cameras, for a reason that’s rather obvious to me but quite shocking for Ms. Napolitano and her fan club: it makes the roads more dangerous – not less.

[Pinal County Sheriff Paul] Babeu said most of the total $134,199.43 in fines and fees from the paid citations covered administrative and operational costs, leaving the county with a net profit of $12,391.58 that Babeu dismissed as paltry.

Moreover, Babeu said, total motor-vehicle accidents increased by 16 percent in the same time period, and fatal collisions in the Queen Creek area doubled from three to six.

[…]

“I’m against photo speed enforcement completely,” Babeu said, walking the three-member panel through a detailed PowerPoint presentation. “Here in Pinal, it’s failed miserably.”

Miserably, indeed. Good for them for facing reality – and then actually acting accordingly. Let’s hope the rest of the state (or at least my own county!) follows in their footsteps.

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