Washington city’s traffic cameras clocked 400,000 speeders in a month – only a few are getting tickets

This is a lottery Washington drivers don’t want to win.

Two speed cameras in Tacoma caught nearly 400,000 speeding violations in just four weeks, but most drivers caught breaking the law won’t receive a ticket. Instead, the city is using a lottery-style system to decide which drivers face a $145 fine.

The cameras are operated by NovoaGlobal and are located along North Point Way and Marine View Drive in Northeast Tacoma, monitoring roads with a 40 mph speed limit. During a four-week warning period from September 14 to October 13, they recorded about 515,000 vehicles passing by, KING 5 News reports. Nearly three out of every four were speeding, according to the city.

Drivers caught speeding during the warning period will not be fined. The cameras began issuing citations on October 14, but the sheer number of violations has forced the city to limit how many tickets it hands out.

Instead of citing every speeding driver, officials are randomly selecting up to 100 motorists per camera each day to receive a $145 fine.

The system isn’t entirely left to chance, though. Drivers caught going significantly over the speed limit are more likely to be selected than those traveling just a few miles per hour too fast.

“The program itself, we work with the vendor to adjust the program to so it’s weighted. So the more egregious violations are weighted heavier than you know somebody who’s maybe you know a few miles an hour over the speed limit,” Eric Huseby, assistant division manager for Tacoma Public Works, told KING 5 News.

Some drivers were going far beyond the posted limit. One camera clocked a motorist traveling 89 mph in the 40 mph zone.

Drivers who spoke with KING 5 said the stretch of road can already be dangerous, particularly with trucks and commuters who may be unfamiliar with the area.

“You are going up against trucks and other commuters who aren’t used to that road,” one driver told the station.

Despite the staggering number of violations, city officials say the cameras are already helping slow drivers down. Speeding activity fell about 12 percent during the first month the cameras were activated. Tacoma plans to add six more speed cameras across the city, KING 5 News reports. Officials have authorized more than $6 million for the company operating the program.

Citations issued since October 14 should already be on their way to drivers caught speeding, the city said.

The Independent has contacted the City of Tacoma for comment.

Tacoma isn’t the only U.S. city full of speed racers. Portland, Oregon’s more than 30 traffic safety cameras have issued 69,000 citations over seven months, targeting speeding and dangerous intersections with histories of serious and fatal crashes, the city announced in June.

In Oakland, California’s 35 speed cameras issued about 82,000 citations during their first month of enforcement earlier this year, averaging 60 tickets per camera daily. Fines range from $50 for drivers going 11 to 15 mph over the limit to $500 for those caught traveling at 100 mph or faster.