Speed Cameras: Understanding the Law

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

As of 2009, 45 cities across the United States had speed cameras in place to catch drivers that fail to follow the posted speed limit. Currently, 12 states and the District of Columbia have laws that permit the use of speed cameras. Speed camera tickets are civil violations, not criminal so there are fewer defenses available to those seeking to challenge these type of tickets.

The use of speed cameras is heavily regulated and laws regarding the use of speed cameras vary by each state. Some states only allow speed cameras to be set up in school or work zones. For example, Maryland only permits the use of speed cameras in highway work zones or within a half-mile radius of schools. Colorado allows speed cameras to be in place in construction zones, school zones, and residential areas or near a municipal park. Penalties also vary by state and in some states like Colorado, fines are doubled if a speed camera catches a speeder in a school zone.

Generally, the registered owner of the vehicle is the person who receives the citation or speeding ticket. Some states allow vehicle owners to defend themselves by arguing that the driver of the car is the one who should be responsible for the ticket. Other states, like New Jersey, hold both the driver and the owner of the vehicle jointly responsible for the speeding ticket. However, some states do not assess any points against the owner or driver. In some states, signs must be posted on the road or highway to inform drivers that speed cameras are in use in certain areas. Under Arizona law, one sign must be in place at least 600 feet away from the cameras and another sign must be posted at least 300 feet away. To find out whether your state or county permits the use of speed cameras, check with the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety or the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, both organizations maintain a list of communities that use speed cameras and information regarding speed camera laws in various states.

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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