The California legislature passed a bill allowing for the use of automated speeding cameras as a pilot program in 6 California counties: Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. In response to rising traffic fatalities attributed to speed, the bill imposes a fine of $100 for going 16 to 25 miles per hour over, $200 for going 26 miles per hour over, and $500 for going 100 miles per hour or more. Drivers traveling between 11 and 15 mph will receive a warning notice for the first offenses and a $50 fine for a second offense. Individuals who make less than 250 percent of the poverty level will have their fines reduced by 50 percent or 80 percent if they are indigent. The bill also stipulates that the revenue from the camera systems must first be used to recover program costs, with excess revenue used for local traffic-calming measures.
Read the bill here.
Read Human’s Rights Watch opposition to California AB 645 citing concerns that it will exponentially generate fines, disproportionately impacting BIPOC communities here.