ALLENTOWN (TNS) — Many drivers finally are slowing down when they travel through work zones on Pennsylvania highways.
The state’s speed enforcement cameras are doing their jobs. It’s time to greatly expand their use.
When the program started in 2020, an average of 30% to 35% of motorists monitored in the enforced work zones were exceeding the speed limit. Last year, that was down to 18% to 20%, according to a recent report from PennDOT.
Excessive speeding, defined as 11 miles per hour or more over the limit, dropped to an average of 3%, down from 5% to 8%.
Even when cameras aren’t on, drivers are slowing down.
Speeds were consistently 6 to 9 mph lower last year in a construction zone on Interstate 78 in Maxatawny and Greenwich townships in Berks County.
The Big Brother crowd doesn’t like speed enforcement cameras. They don’t believe government should be spying on them. They don’t believe using technology to make our roads safer is fair.
They’re wrong.
The cameras are accurate. And the process is fair.
Construction zones using enforcement cameras must have signs alerting drivers. Pay attention and slow down and you won’t have any problems. You can spare a few extra minutes, maybe even just seconds, to get through a work zone.
If you do get nailed, you can appeal your citation. Good luck trying to prove the speed timing device didn’t work right.
So far, no violations have been overturned because of errors, according to the PennDOT report.
The 327 violations that were thrown out were dismissed for other reasons. They include the vehicle having been reported stolen, or evidence that the vehicle’s owner was not the owner at the time of the offense.
These cameras aren’t being used to make money for the state. The program costs the state. It’s an investment in safety.
The program hasn’t been perfect.
Last year, more than 62,000 violation notices issued in a construction zone on Route 1 in Bucks County were tossed. The enforcement system had been programmed incorrectly, based on a speed limit of 45 mph instead of 55 mph.
Officials must take great care to program the technology accurately. Mistakes undermine the system and give critics ammunition to question it.
The goal of the cameras, which are used on highways and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is to improve safety for motorists and work crews.
An analysis of crash data for last year was not available when PennDOT published its report. In 2020, crashes decreased.
There were 1,416 crashes in work zones on all Pennsylvania roads. The average number of crashes over the previous three years was 1,782.
There was less traffic in 2020 because of the pandemic. But work zone crashes dropped at a greater rate than traffic did.
That indicates people are driving wiser in work zones everywhere, possibly because of the increased emphasis on highways and the threat of being fined.
Three years into the program, it’s time to increase those fines.
There is evidence they aren’t high enough to be a deterrent.
A driver must be traveling at least 11 mph over the speed limit to trigger a violation notice. It is mailed to the owner of the vehicle, based on a photo of the license plate.
First-time offenders are not fined. The penalty for a second offense is $75. The penalty for each subsequent offense is $150.
The recent data show that an increasing number of leadfoots are repeat offenders. That means they aren’t learning their lesson and that penalties should be higher.
In 2020, 8.8% of vehicles caught speeding were caught twice, and 3.8% were caught three or more times.
In 2021, 10.8% of vehicles caught speeding were caught twice, and 4.5% were caught three or more times.
About three-quarters of fines have been paid. State officials also need to work on ways to improve that rate.
State lawmakers should allow PennDOT to block registration renewals for vehicles with unpaid fines. That’s allowed for unpaid Turnpike tolls, and it should be applied to this program, too.
(Email Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick at paul.muschick@mcall.com.)
