LETTER: Why stop with red-light cameras?
by Keith Hughes Las Vegas · Las Vegas Review-JournalI’ve been following the Review-Journal’s coverage of the red-light camera debate closely and was happy to read Sunday’s story about the successes of other such programs around the country. But if we truly want to reduce deaths on our roads, we should add speed cameras to the discussion.
During a recent visit to the United Kingdom, I noticed that freeways and surface streets were monitored by speed cameras in all areas I visited. My anecdotal data shows they work marvelously. On the freeways, the speed of traffic moved within a couple of miles per hour of the posted speed limit. Always. This was true in congested cities and in rural areas. Of course, the occasional scofflaw sped by, but that was the rare exception instead of the rule, as it seems to be in Southern Nevada. There are even average-speed cameras that calculate and ensure that a car’s average speed over a longer stretch — a mile or more — remains at or below the limit.
I don’t advocate for every method that monarchy uses to control its subjects, but speed cameras work and are an easy solution to a huge problem here at home.