Colorado proposal would revise state’s speed camera rule

A proposal at the Colorado statehouse addresses the use of speed enforcement cameras.

State law now permits with some limitation the use of speed cameras in all communities. A police officer or other government employee must be present when a violation occurs. The presence requirement does not apply within a maintenance, construction, or repair zone. The maximum penalty is $40.

To date, programs are in place in the cities of Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins and Sheridan.

Proposed changes to the rule

State Rep. Matt Gray, D-Broomfield, wants to see the current system expanded. He recently told the Transportation Legislation Review Committee change is needed to better protect pedestrians and cyclists.

A draft bill calls for removing the requirement from statute that a police officer or other government employee be present when a violation occurs.

Warning notices would be issued for the first 15 days after a speed camera is placed along a roadway. Violation notices would be required to be mailed to registered vehicle owners within 30 days after the alleged violation – down from 90 days under current law.

In the first year that a speed camera is posted, registered vehicle owners would receive notices for violations of at least 11 mph over the posted speed limit. Afterward, notices would be sent out for violations of at least 6 mph over the posted limit.

Gray said the intent of the proposal is not to punish drivers but to educate drivers.

“The goal is not to be punitive. The goal is to be warning first,” he told committee members.

He adds that citations would come if warnings are not enough to deter speeding.

Additionally, the Colorado Department of Revenue could notify the insurer of a motor vehicle’s registered owner if a vehicle is involved in at least five violations over a two-year period.

The committee took no immediate action on the proposal. If ultimately approved, the issue could be brought up for consideration during the 2023 regular session.

Federal guidance for roadway safety programs

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg earlier this year unveiled plans to address a record increase in traffic deaths on the nation’s highways. Automated cameras were included among the tools identified to aid reducing fatalities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s national roadway safety strategy addresses the administration’s goal for the program.

“Automated speed enforcement, if deployed equitably and applied appropriately to roads with the greatest risk of harm due to speeding, can provide significant safety benefits and save lives.”

More than 500 communities around the country employ the use of red-light and/or speed cameras to nab drivers who disobey traffic rules, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reports.

Officials with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association say the focus on the revenue-generating devices ignores the more logical and reasoned approach to roads and traffic: keep traffic moving in as safe a manner as possible. LL

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