San Francisco has become the first city in California to activate a network of 33 fixed speed cameras with the costs of fines that depend on the assets of the driver.
In one of the most division programs for traffic enforcement in the history of the state, a Fine System System with a low income offers a discount of 50% on each fine.
The policy has IDend accusations of favoritism, inequality and what critics already mocked as a 'Wek Penalty Maas in the law'.
According to the new rules, drivers receive the speed limit with 11 km / h or more, fines ranging from $ 50 to $ 500, depending on how fast they go.
But Californians earn less than $ 30,120 a year for a household with one person are eligible for half of their quotes.
While residents with a low income pay half of the standard fine, the slider varies in the $ 30,120 slider for a single person to $ 83,920 for a family of six.
The discounts are automatically for those who are eligible and choose to report an application.
The move is a deep polarizing that seems to prioritize a form of income -based justice over what should be a simple matter of right and order.
San Francisco has become the first city in California to activate a network of 33 fixed speed cameras with the costs of fines that depend on the assets of the driver to pay
The sliding scale of San Francisco for accelerating fines is a deep polarizing that seems to prioritize a form of income -based justice over what should be a simple matter of right and order
According to the new rules, drivers receive the speed limit by 11 km / h or more, fines ranging from $ 50 to $ 500, depending on how fast they go and how much they earn
San Francisco has long been a test area when it comes to city life, whether it is the directorless taxis or robot -like guards, but the two layered legal system smells of selective enforcement.
The devices were activated last Thursday and were placed at intersections in 'high-injury corridors' and school zones, areas marked by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) as a spectacle of dangerous driving.
A warning period of two months is in force, but the real fines will fall into the mailboxes of the drivers from May.
Civil servants estimate that the cameras can spend up to 42,000 tickets every day and in turn generate a huge amount of income for the city.
'There is also really big signage at all locations. We try to teach people. We try to prevent speed violations, “said SFMTA Transportation Director, Julie Kirschbaum to ABC7.
San Francisco is the first city in California to set up the speed cameras with a greater chance of coming.
“Collecting data, we document our experience and our goal is to ultimately help cities in California to implement this important safety tool,” said Kirschbaum ..
A map has been issued so that drivers know where all 33 speed cameras are located
Last year San Francisco registered more road deaths than murders
The city says they want to provide a behavioral change for drivers to delay
Mayor Daniel Lurie van San Francisco has proudly posted about the speed cameras, but did not report the discounts for drivers with a lower income
Drivers with a low income can be disproportionately affected by fixed fines, which can quickly go through in licensing provisions and job losses.
The use of a sliding scale for fines can be a way to bring in a behavioral change for drivers to delay.
Local Safety Group Walk SF claims that the speed cameras drastically reduce crash rates. Communication director Marta Lindsey called the success of New York City as a model.
'Speed ​​cameras change behavior and then it reduces the crashes. New York City has just seen dramatic results in behavioral change and very few people get second tickets, so people learn quickly, “said Lindsey.
Last year San Francisco registered more road deaths than murders.
But for all the data and tragedy behind the launch of the program, critics warn that the city may create a dangerous precedent: not normalizing unequal punishments on the basis of the severity of a violation, but the person who commits it.
The DMV records of California do not follow any income, but a new schedule such as this has been concerned about enforcement transparency, fraud and selective application.
Other cities in California keep a close eye on, with potential rollout that is already considered when the data of San Francisco are promising.
