Speed cameras could be coming to 10 Fairfax locations as early as the first quarter of 2023, according to a pilot program proposed by the Fairfax County Police Department.
The 10 cameras, positioned at nine to-be-determined school crossings and one work zone on Route 28, signal an urgency by the department to curtail speeding and speed-related crashes, issues that became especially glaring in June, when a high-speed crash on Blake Lane killed two Oakton High School students and severely injured one other.
Police officials were able to submit the pilot on October 4, which is estimated to run for six months following its start date, due to leeway provided in a state law passed in 2020 that allows “state and local law enforcement to operate photo speed monitoring devices in or around school crossing zones and highway work zones,” the bill reads.
As part of the program, speeding ticket enforcement would only occur when a driver is exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 mph. A fine of $50 would be issued for violations between 10 and 14 mph, the proposal says. Speeding violations between 15 and 19 mph would incur a $75 penalty, and a $100 fine would be doled out for speeds of at least 20 mph over the limit.
Penalties collected would then be funneled into the locality where the violation occurred, the proposal says. Because these particular fines would be considered civil violations, there would be no docking of driving record points or insurance.
If the pilot is successful, the department anticipates adding up to 50 more cameras between July and September of next year. That number could balloon to 80 in July 2024.
The FCPD, which has struggled with recruitment and retention in recent years, would likely require staff committed to manning the program. For now, officials say it can “be staffed using light duty officers, though it would likely benefit from one permanently assigned coordinator in addition.”
The county’s Board of Supervisors is expected to cast a final vote on the pilot on December 6.
Feature image, tlovely/stock.adobe.com
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