A proposal in Healey’s $62 billion state budget, unveiled last week, would authorize cities and towns and the state Department of Transportation to install “red light cameras” and automatically fine drivers for any infractions.
Under the plan, communities that want automated traffic enforcement would have to hold public hearings on the plans and seek approval from local governing boards to install cameras in specific locations. The proposal would limit communities from installing more than one camera system for every 5,000 residents.
MassDOT would be allowed to place speed cameras in construction work zones, which would not count toward a city or town’s allotment.
Local police would be required to review and authorize any citations, which would be mailed to violators under the plan.
Fines would range from a warning and $25 for a first violation to $100 for multiple violations under Healey’s proposal.
Violations caught on camera wouldn’t result in insurance surcharges, nor would they become part of driving records kept by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
The proposal includes a process for appealing tickets. Photographs would be required to be destroyed within 48 hours of a violation being resolved.
The move is the latest attempt on Beacon Hill to authorize use of the technology to crack down on traffic violators and provide more money for the state and local governments.
Lawmakers have filed proposals to allow the cameras to be installed, but they failed to gain traction. In 2021, then-Gov. Charlie Baker filed a similar proposal as part of a broader roadway safety bill. Lawmakers didn’t take any action on it.
At least 22 states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws allowing the use of traffic enforcement cameras at traffic signals or for speed enforcement, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Private contractors operate many systems, generating tickets that are then reviewed by police. Tickets arrive by mail, and violators can appeal or pay. The contractor gets a share of ticket revenues to pay for operating the camera system.
Proponents of the high-speed surveillance equipment say it’s a proven way to save lives by reducing red-light runners, who are a leading cause of fatal crashes.
In 2022, at least 1,149 people were killed in the United States and an estimated 107,000 injured in red-light running crashes, a 4% increase from 2021 and a 22% increase from 2017, according to the American Automobile Association.
Most of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists and people in other vehicles.
To be sure, the technology has critics, including Libertarians who complain the real purpose is to raise money for police and local governments.
Critics point to research showing a rise in rear-end collisions caused by motorists hitting the brakes to avoid getting a ticket in places where the cameras are in use.
But supporters say the overwhelming evidence is that the cameras act as a deterrent and saves lives.
© 2025 the Gloucester Daily Times (Gloucester, Mass.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
