Motorists speeding in designated photo enforcement areas in Saskatchewan started getting tickets on Monday.
March 8 marked the end of SGI’s three-month trial period during which drivers breaking the law received only a warning letter.
The two-year pilot project targets five high-speed locations in or near Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw, as well as, selected school zones in each of those cities.
During December and January, the cameras caught nearly 30,000 speed limit violations in the high-speed locations and just over 9,000 in the school zones.
According to Kelly Brinkworth, SGI media relations manager, the good news is people are already slowing down. Statistics show speeding was down in January by 34 per cent overall and 64 per cent in school zones.
The highest speed clocked in December was 186 kilometres an hour at Circle Drive in Saskatoon. In January, it was 175 kilometres an hour at Ring Road in Regina.
Speeding is one of the top causes of collisions and death.
“The goal of the photo speed enforcement pilot is zero tickets, zero crashes and zero fatalities,” said Andrew Cartmell, president and CEO of SGI. “More drivers getting in the habit of respecting speed limits will have a positive impact on road safety in the province, which is exactly what this pilot hopes to accomplish.”
When a driver reaches a certain threshold above the speed limit—set by law enforcement and which SGI will not divulge—the camera takes a picture of the car’s licence plate and a ticket is mailed to the car’s owner. Because the system cannot determine who is driving the car, no demerits are issued. Fines start at $110 at the highspeed locations plus $1 for every kilometre over the posted speed limit, and $190 in school zones plus $2 for every kilometre over the posted speed limit.
Highly visible signs are posted throughout these zones to inform motorists they are in an area that is photo speed enforced.
“Photo speed enforcement provides an important complement to our existing traffic safety enforcement,” said Sgt. Colin Glas with the Regina Police Service. “This program assists police in maintaining public safety and helps keep all road users safe.”
