In letters to the House Environment and Transportation Committee and the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, Advocates has urged members to enact Senate Bill (SB) 487/House Bill (HB) 256. This legislation expands state and local use of speed safety cameras to roadway segments identified as safety corridors due to being high risk for vulnerable road users (VRUs).
In 2024, there were an overall estimated 5791 traffic fatalities in Maryland, which is an 11 percent increase from 2015 to 2024. Speeding is a major contributor to traffic fatalities as 30 percent of the fatalities in 2023 (187 lives lost) involved speeding and speeding related fatalities increased 40 percent from 2014 to 2023. The increase in fatalities for VRUs was even greater during the same period with fatalities among pedestrians rising 58 percent and among bicyclists and other cyclists by 200 percent.
Law enforcement risk their lives when performing their duties every day. Yet, it is implausible for law enforcement officers to be everywhere and catch every violation. Speed safety cameras augment traditional enforcement without requiring a traffic stop and will improve safety in safety corridors.
Read the full letter to the House committee here and Senate committee here.