I am writing in response to the recent article in the AJC regarding speeding tickets and general traffic enforcement.
There are three major concepts associated with traffic safety: Engineering, education and enforcement. The engineering aspect is handled by proper highway construction and appropriate traffic flow measures. Education is accomplished by published laws and regulations, traffic signs and public service communications. Enforcement is utilized when problems are identified that cannot be addressed effectively through engineering and education.
I do not dispute a small number of agencies have abused the system in the past. However, once the specific agency has been addressed appropriately, the focus should be on the majority of agencies that use speed detection devices (radar and laser) properly to protect the public.
Traffic enforcement in general, including speed enforcement, is focused on safety, not financial gain.
It is not appropriate to compare a city’s population with its traffic enforcement citation numbers. Areas with major traffic corridors must be viewed in a more comprehensive context. The true enforcement activity picture can be seen only when citation statistics are compared with the number of vehicles that use the roads. There may be a significant difference between the population and the average annual daily traffic count collected by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
It is also important to note that a driver may be issued multiple citations during a single traffic stop. For example, a driver stopped for speeding may also be cited for improper lane change, reckless driving or driving under the influence, thereby increasing the overall numbers. Additional citations may be issued, for example, for a non-working tail light, which is canceled with proof of correction.
The Oct. 18 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article cited Doraville as an “aggressive” police force that issued “an average of 40 tickets a day.” As noted above, this number is easily misinterpreted. A review of 2013 traffic flow data collected by the GDOT counted an average of 45,820 vehicles passing through a half-mile stretch of road within Doraville each day. Therefore, traffic citations were issued involving less than one-tenth of 1 percent of vehicles.
Significant variances in traffic fines and fees exist among jurisdictions. Local governing authorities have the responsibility to establish their own fine schedules, within reasonable parameters, for most violations. Therefore, fine and fee amounts are not a law enforcement issue; they are a function of local government. Funds collected from traffic citations are not deposited into a law enforcement agency’s account. These monies typically go into a city or county general fund.
I would also like to address the notion of “speed traps.” Speed limit designations are not set by law enforcement; in most cases, GDOT is responsible for setting safe speed limits for each road within Georgia. Law enforcement is tasked with enforcing that speed limit based on GDOT’s analysis of what is safe and appropriate.
“Speed trap” implies a driver has been tricked into speeding so he can be fined for violating the law. This is simply misleading. When a driver is stopped for speeding, it is a result of the driver going faster than the safe speed for that area. Except for the Georgia State Patrol, enforcement agencies using speed detection devices such as radar or laser are generally not permitted to cite drivers traveling less than 11 mph over the posted speed limit.
In closing, the AJC article appeared to show law enforcement in a poor light with respect to the enforcement of traffic laws. Should the focus not be on the fact that so many Georgia drivers are operating their vehicles in excess of posted safe speeds or committing other unsafe traffic infractions?
As of this writing, there have been 290,393 traffic accidents resulting in 1,000 fatalities in Georgia in 2014; in most of those fatal accidents, a traffic violation was a contributing factor. I submit that a directed focus on encouraging drivers to obey traffic laws in the interest of safety would provide more benefit to the public as a possible means of saving lives on our roads, than to cast blame on today’s centurions for doing one of their appointed lawful assignments.
