Saving Lives, Not Raising Money

The first SC law that restricted municipalities from using Automated Road Safety Camera Systems (ARSC) was passed in 2010 because legislators feared the revenue raised would be used to line city coffers, but the purpose of automated enforcement is to improve safety, not to catch unsuspecting drivers. Cities may be allowed by law to recoup their ARSC expenses but nothing further.

Some points to note are:

·      With ARSC, politicians cannot ramp up enforcement to raise revenue.

·      ARSC revenues fall over time because repeat offenders are rare.

·      Legislation may be crafted in such a way that the revenues raised by ARSC must be used for sidewalks, streetlights, landscaping that slows traffic, road safety education or other lifesaving purposes.

·      A review of research showed that ARSC are consistently associated with fewer crashes resulting in deaths and injuries, with most studies reporting reductions of 30-40%.

·      Collisions are expensive for the state, municipalities and the individuals involved. The economic loss from traffic collisions in SC in 2023 was $5.38 billion.

·      There is a significant cost to cities every time first responders are sent to the scene of a collision, so even a 20% reduction in crashes could save funds for a municipality.

What YOU can do to make South Carolina roads safer:

  • Local and state governments and citizens will benefit from reducing the above average number of crashes in SC, and ARSC are a proven way to do so. Please contact your legislator to ask him or her to support a law allowing municipalities in our state to choose to use ARSC.

  • Join the cause by donating to Citizens for Safe Streets now.

Jody Traywick