The Chicago city council voted down an ammendment to the speed camera tickets which would have raised the threshold from 6 mph over to 10 mph. The measure lost 26 to 18. If caught on camera driving 6 mph over the limit will bring you a $35 ticket. 10 mph or over will bring a $100 ticket. These speed camera tickets are considered non-moving violations and will not add points to your drivers license.
Opponents to the 6 mph ticket threshold argued that they were simply a cash cow for the city. Estimates put the revenue for these tickets at about $70 million per year.
I don’t disagree with that argument. Do these cameras actually make our streets safer. The numbers say they don’t. There were 174 traffic related deaths in 2021 and those numbers (according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot) continue to rise in 2022. If the number of fatalaties continue to rise despite these speed cameras, then why are they even in place. What are they doing to make our streets safer?
These cameras are here to stay and so is the 6 mph threshold, we can only hope this causes people to slow down and eventually lead to less traffic fatalities.
If you or a loved once has been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago injury attorney, Aaron J. Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.