Hawaii Motorists Go for Ride with Speed-Camera System

The Hawaii Transportation Department has started deploying van-mounted cameras to track down speeders in the act, according to the Associated Press.

Unveiled in Oahu in January, the cameras, operated by a private company, have radar and automatically take a picture of a speeder’s license plate. The owner of the auto then receives a ticket via the mail.

The purpose of the devices is to snare violators in the same way red-light cameras have done over the years, averting a police chase. Proponents of the system note that it saves lives and has slowed down traffic. However, drivers and civil liberties lawyers argue that the current system assumes the owner of the auto was behind the wheel when cited. They also argue that the cameras invade one’s privacy and that Hawaii has more interest in the revenues from speeding tickets than safety concerns.

According to the Associated Press report, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes that approximately a dozen communities in Hawaii, California, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado and Washington, D.C. are presently employing the cameras in an attempt to catch speeders.

Hawaii became the first state to make law a statewide enactment permitting photo-enforced radar for state roads.