Los Angeles is moving ahead with a broad speed camera program aimed at reducing traffic deaths and serious crashes. The city’s transportation department said Thursday that the first cameras will begin operating in late October, and all 125 locations are expected to be installed by the end of the year.
Each site will have two cameras monitoring traffic in both directions. Drivers who are recorded traveling 11 mph or more over the posted limit will be photographed from the rear, including the license plate, and the vehicle’s registered owner will receive a notice by mail. For the first 60 days after a camera is activated, the city will issue warnings only before citations begin.
Fines will range from $50 to $500, depending on how far over the speed limit a driver is going. Under state law, all revenue must go toward road safety improvements, and the recorded information will remain under the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s control unless a court issues a warrant.
City officials said the program comes as Los Angeles has seen traffic deaths outpace homicides for three straight years. Police data released in late September showed traffic deaths were up 14% from last year.
