The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is currently engaged in a pilot program to conduct research along two particularly hairy stretches of interstate. The study includes utilizing speed cameras to assess the roads, presumably before the state decides whether or not make them a permanent fixture. While Washington has been using the devices to track and even contact speeders by mail, the state has held off on issuing any fines.
According to The Bellingham Herald (h/t The Drive), the WSDOT has taken to sending out “courtesy notices” rather than fines. The program is being conducted jointly by the Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Patrol and Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
“The Highway Speed Camera Program began as a proviso from the legislature and includes a requirement for our vendor to gather data about driver behavior,” WSDOT spokesperson Amy Moreno stated in an email. “The cameras will be removed from the roadway in late June; we do not know if they will be returned for future safety programs or enforcement.”
Considering that the cameras resulted in the delivery of over 6,000 notices within their first month, it seems highly likely that the state will want to try and keep them. The potential revenue created by the devices would theoretically equate to several hundred thousand dollars per month if Washington started issuing tickets.
In April, the cameras were placed along southbound I-5 between Bow Hill Road and Cook Road in Skagit County, and eastbound I-90 near Liberty Lake, just outside of Spokane. The WSDOT claimed that these were particularly dangerous stretches of road that reportedly see nearly 50 drivers traveling in excess of 100 mph each month.
Perhaps my tolerance for speed is out of proportion with the rest of the population, or I have just lived in places with a lot of speeders, but that figure doesn’t actually seem all that surprising. I typically see at least one vehicle hurtling down the interstate at triple-digit speeds on any given day.
Washington is also being a little vague with its objectives here. It seems dubious that the state is simply accumulating data with no plan to implement potentially lucrative speeding cameras on a permanent basis, especially considering testing the program cost the state Legislature over a million dollars. However, if the hope is to use the information to sway legislators to back more camera-based traffic enforcement, it likewise seems odd that Washington would go out of its way to give speeders months of advanced warning.
Maybe this is one of those rare instances where officials actually want to bolster safety without an ulterior motive. However, Washington is also one of many states that places restrictions on the implementation of speed cameras. Legislation passed in 2024 has created loopholes that will allow for cities and counties to deploy traffic cameras on certain kinds of roads. The pilot program may be designed to help encourage a change in definition of those stretches of I-5 and I-90 from the legislature, opening the door for more automated traffic enforcement.
[Images: WSDOT]
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