WASHINGTON — When it comes to speed camera tickets in Maryland, no county comes close to Montgomery County.
And together with Prince George’s County, the two are responsible for the lion’s share of speed camera tickets issued in the state last year.
More than 1.5 million speed camera tickets were issued in the state in fiscal year 2017, generating more than $62 million in fines, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. Of those tickets, 1.2 million were issued in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
“Motorists stand at three times greater chance of being ticketed in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County than any other counties or jurisdictions in the state,” said John Townsend, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs.
Maryland speed cameras are restricted to school and work zones, with the exception of Montgomery County, where speed cameras are also deployed in some neighborhoods, grandfathered into the state law.
There are also a surprisingly large number of jurisdictions in those counties — including Bowie, Hyattsville and Takoma Park — that also have speed cameras.
“There are more than 22 law enforcement agencies in those two counties alone that operate speed camera programs,” Townsend said.
Police say that the automated speed enforcement programs are important in slowing down drivers, especially in school zones. And while AAA Mid-Atlantic supports the speed cameras in school zones, its analysis shows that overall there was no meaningful reduction in the number of speed camera tickets issued in the state from 2016 to 2017.
Private contractors that manufacture and maintain the automated speed camera equipment get a share of the fines — ranging from 33 to 48 percent, AAA Mid-Atlantic pointed out.
