Attention drivers, Maryland is bringing changes. Starting in October, drivers (and even non-drivers) will have to be very careful because the new automatic speed camera systems can issue fines of up to $425 even if you were not the one driving the car at that moment.
Wait, it’s not that you’ll get fined for having your car parked somewhere, but if your car is caught by one of these cameras exceeding the speed limit (and it’s your cousin, brother, or brother-in-law who’s driving), the fine will arrive directly in your mailbox. And the fine can reach up to $425, so be very careful.
The new system
Until now, speed cameras in Maryland issued a standard $40 fine, no matter how much you exceeded the limit, but that’s over.
This law introduces a tiered system, meaning the more you exceed the limit, the more you’ll have to pay.
- If you go less than 15 miles over: $40.
- If you exceed the limit by more than 40 miles per hour: $425.
The camera detects the speed violation, recorded the license plate and the fine arrives to the vehicle owner (and no matter who was behind it), so be careful if you don’t want to be fined (even when you’re in your sofa).
No officers, no discussion… and, many times, the real person responsible isn’t even the one who pays. Complicated Christmas dinners are coming in Maryland I think!
But I wasn’t driving!
That’s why many people are worried about, because the fines can be applied to the car owner, not the actual person driving. It doesn’t matter if you lent your car to a friend or family member because if they step on the accelerator that day, the camera will capture it and the fine will arrive to your home.
Authorities said the system was designed this way to make it faster and more efficient. If you lend your car, remember that the fine can come to you, so make sure to warn them.The goal
According to the Maryland Highway Safety Administration, speeding is behind more than 28% of road deaths in the state, an extremely high number.
And on these roads, there’s a dangerous type of driver called “super speeders,” who exceed the limits by more than 40 miles per hour, as if they were playing Need For Speed, forgetting that they are putting other people’s lives at risk.
With this new system, Maryland wants to put pressure on those who drive as if the roads were F1 tracks. Officials explain clearly that they don’t want to punish anyone, they want to save lives and make people aware that pressing the accelerator can cost someone their life. And since humans only learn through punishment… here we are.
Where will the cameras be?
The cameras will be active in school zones, highways, and residential areas, where speed-related accidents have increased sharply in recent years.
Other changes
Driving 30 miles over the speed limit can now be considered reckless driving, with penalties of up to 60 days in jail, $1,000 in fines, and six points on your license.
Negligent driving violations can cost up to $750 and two points on your license.
The state of Maryland wants to eliminate road deaths before 2035, and because it’s such an ambitious plan, they are implementing much stricter measures than in other places.
“Cheese!”
Speed cameras work 24 hours per day and can process thousands of images per minute, so escaping them won’t be easy.
Drivers feel with them a constant surveillance, a “Big Brother” that doesn’t let them drive “freely” (no, George, driving 50 miles over the limit isn’t freedom).
Some applaud this measure because they don’t want more accidents on the roads, but there are also those who criticize it because they’ve received incorrect fines when they weren’t even in the city.
The Department of Transportation assures that all cameras are calibrated and inspected weekly, and that it is possible to appeal the fine, although the process can be somewhat complicated.
Is it excessive control or not enough yet?