Are Speed Cameras of Benefit to Our Society?
English 102 Paper Topic Proposal Form Dr. D. Kaloustian
Alexis Williams
Speeding Cameras:
(Are speed cameras of benefit to our society?)
For my topic proposal I would like to write about speed cameras and its contribution to society. Are they around for the public’s safety or to gather a large amount of money for government use? I am interested in how they determine what spots are appropriate for a camera and how has it helped or harmed our citizens. I’m curious about the safety it has accumulated over the years and if it has decreased or increased? However, I personally feel that speed cameras represent great public policy for our citizens.
What is a speed camera? A speed camera is an automatic traffic enforcement camera designed to photograph the front and back of a speeding vehicle to aid in the arrest or ticketing of speeders. Law enforcement personnel use speed cameras to catch speeders who also run red lights and stop signs. (Ehow)
In 2003, after Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) Md. vetoed the idea of using speed cameras in the state, 2 years later Maryland's House of Delegates approved legislation in 2005 believing that the technology will be a safety benefit for the state. (The Washington Post) quotes, “Proponents say the technology makes roads safer, a particular concern in Montgomery, where traffic fatalities spiked last year and where pedestrians killed by automobiles typically account for more deaths in a year than homicides do.” Taken that the speed cameras aim to fix this problem, how does it affect motorist’s everyday lives? With this new law in effect, many debates have risen in what may or may not be a true solution for this serious problem.
Many motorists for years have been debating whether speed cameras have been a benefit to society. You can see this issue raised up all over the media through the Internet, Radio, Newspaper and T.V. with people who have been fined for different incidents. Some with tickets for going a few kilometers over the speed limit and others for going excessively over the speed limit. In reality speed cameras can certainly reduce the risk of accidents, therefore reducing less death on the roads, but they can also put a negative impact on citizens lives. This includes personal debts, violations of citizen rights, and at times being falsely accused.
According to (cbsnews.com) in Montgomery County, MD has been the perfect example for how speed cameras have helped decrease accidents in the area by putting them in selected communities. “In a report to the Montgomery Council on that county's pioneering automated speed enforcement program, the Office of Legislative Oversight found that speeding had been cut in half and collisions had fallen 28 percent over one year in school zones and on residential streets where cameras have been deployed.” (The Baltimore Sun). These results provide significant evidence that the decision of stationed speed cameras has put the Government on the right track to ending the frequency of fatal and non-fatal car accidents. In another article it states, “The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) believes that if the nation had a speed camera program like Montgomery County, Maryland, 21,000 deaths or serious injuries could be prevented every year, reports CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave.
While (IIHS) believes that speed cameras are great necessities, others have argued differently. On the other hand, it appears that some people just note where the cameras are so they can slow down in order to avoid getting a ticket. However, say you’re not that clever and was given a ticket. According to (Mddriversalliance.org) it states that, “The right to face your accuser in court and cross examine witnesses is guaranteed by the US Bill of Rights. Speed cameras deny you this right because the accuser is a machine.” This makes a valid point on both sides; however, let's look on how speed cameras are stationed.