Edited by: TJVNews.com

In a bid to enhance driver protections and address concerns raised in a recent traffic safety report, New Jersey lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at curbing the use of automated traffic enforcement systems. Patch.com reported that the proposed bill,  known as the Automated Enforcement Inoculation Act, championed by Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) and co-sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari, seeks to prevent the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) from cooperating with other states in imposing fines through automated camera ticketing systems.

“The bill aims to ensure that the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and other state agencies do not provide personal information found on New Jersey driver’s licenses to other states for the purpose of collecting fines,” explained a spokesperson for Senator Declan O’Scanlon, who introduced the bill.

These camera systems operate by capturing a driver’s license plate if they are caught speeding, using the plate information to access personal data such as name, address, phone number, and social security number, in order to issue a ticket.

The need for such legislation has become increasingly apparent, particularly as neighboring states have ramped up their use of automated traffic cameras. The Patch.com reported that in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that over 100,000 drivers were caught speeding via automated traffic cameras from April to November 2023. Fines in the Empire State range from $50 for a first violation, $75 for a second, to $100 for a third. Similarly, Pennsylvania has implemented a Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras program since 2020, with fines ranging from $75 to $150 for drivers traveling over 11 mph above the speed limit.

While automated speed and red light cameras have been promoted as a means to address inequities in policing, advocates argue that the technology saves lives. The report on Patch.com also indicated that a 2022 report by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association hailed these programs as “a proven way to change driver behavior and increase safety” while also addressing potential inequities, as the cameras do not see race or ethnicity.

Echoing this sentiment, a recent Roadmap To Safety report published by Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety underscored the benefits of automated enforcement, citing government and private research as well as crash data pointing to improved safety outcomes.

Senator O’Scanlon, the primary sponsor of the bill, has been a vocal opponent of automated enforcement systems, arguing that they offer no discernible safety benefits for drivers. “Studies have shown that camera enforcement is a flawed system that provides no safety benefit for drivers,” O’Scanlon remarked, according to the report on Patch.com, underscoring the rationale behind the proposed legislation.

This is not the first time O’Scanlon has taken a stand against automated enforcement. According to the information on Patch.com, he spearheaded efforts to ban red light and speed cameras in New Jersey, a move that culminated in legislation signed into law in 2014 by then-Governor Chris Christie. Reflecting on the bipartisan support garnered by the ban, O’Scanlon emphasized the importance of prioritizing truth over profit in policymaking. “At a time when bipartisanship seemed rare, New Jersey legislators came together to prioritize truth over profit and banned the use of automated enforcement within our borders,” O’Scanlon stated.

“At a time when bipartisanship seemed rare, New Jersey legislators came together to prioritize truth over profit and banned the use of automated enforcement within our borders,” remarked Senator O’Scanlon (R-13). “Despite soundly rejecting these systems, it has not stopped corrupt companies from reaching into our wallets from out of state. We need to pass this bill to firmly shut the door on this government-sanctioned theft and protect our residents from predatory fines,” he added.

The move comes in response to a cautionary rating assigned to New Jersey in a nationwide traffic safety report, which highlighted the need for the Garden State to implement measures such as automated traffic enforcement and nighttime and passenger driving restrictions for certain drivers. While the report emphasizes the potential benefits of such measures in bolstering driver protections, critics have voiced concerns, labeling automated enforcement as a bureaucratic money grab.

“While half of all states have rejected these corrupt schemes, there is no reason why we should allow our MVC to be complicit with those who haven’t,” emphasized Senator O’Scanlon. “Studies have shown that camera enforcement is a flawed system that provides no safety benefit for drivers.”

Backing his stance with data, O’Scanlon referenced a chart published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ranking fatality rates per 100 million miles traveled in all 50 states. States employing automated enforcement systems are shaded in red on the chart. “If these systems improved safety, you’d expect the red-shaded states to consistently have lower fatality rates than states who do not use camera enforcement. That’s decidedly not the case,” O’Scanlon explained. “They are nothing more than a mechanism to impose regressive taxes that preys most viciously on the poor. The Automated Enforcement Inoculation Act would defend our residents against a corrupt industry that profits off debunked claims of improved public safety.”