Gov. Healey wants Massachusetts communities to have the option of installing automated cameras that will snap shots of speeding drivers.
Tucked inside Gov. Maura Healey’s $62 billion budget proposal unveiled earlier this week is a measure that would allow local authorities to deploy special cameras that would be used to enforce speed limits.
Traffic cameras are used in more than 300 communities across the country to help law enforcement catch drivers going over the limit or blowing through red lights. Research from around the world has found that speed camera programs tend to reduce both driving speeds and crashes in affected areas, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The proposal Healey included would only allow cameras to be used for speed enforcement, not to detect red light violations. Cameras would be intended to catch drivers going 11 mph or more over the speed limit, or drivers going more than 6 mph over the limit in a school zone…