NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — Speed cameras are helping Neptune Beach Police crack down on dangerous driving near schools.
“Keeps drivers in check,” said one driver, Nick Fiedler.
Police claim they’ve seen a 92% drop in speeding in school zones since the cameras were installed.
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Police said that number is based off a survey conducted by the company that it eventually hired.
According to new data from the Neptune Beach Police Department, they are now issuing nearly 30 tickets a day.
“It keeps the kids safer,” said another driver, Ariel Warner.
The cameras have been online in a few locations since about March.
Action News Jax told you when a warning period started as those cameras went live. And based on data from the police department, during that period, nearly 2500 drivers got a warning.
After that, the citation period began.
While many people said the numbers prove the cameras are making things safer, many others aren’t sold. Opponents point out that the cameras are installed by companies that get a cut of every ticket given and said the speed studies are done by that same company.
Lawmakers in Georgia tried to ban the cameras, although the bill didn’t pass.
In Neptune Beach, citations are only issued at 11mph or higher than the speed limit. That means if the speed limit is 15, a citation isn’t issued unless you are going 26mph.
The police department said all citations are reviewed and issued by an officer.
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