Garden State Times

Senator Declan O’Scanlon has criticized New York Governor Kathy Hochul for expanding the use of red-light cameras. He called for New Jersey's legislature to support his bipartisan bill aimed at shielding drivers from out-of-state automated traffic fines.

“New York is flat-out fleecing their own residents with their shameful expansion of red-light cameras. It is nothing short of a blatant money grab,” stated Sen. O’Scanlon. He emphasized that New Jersey had previously banned these cameras, asserting they are ineffective and exploitative.

The proposed legislation, S-3067, seeks to prevent the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and other state entities from sharing driver information with states like New York for imposing fines through automated camera systems.

“There is no justification for our MVC to cooperate with states like New York who are complicit in extorting our residents,” said Sen. O’Scanlon. He cited studies suggesting such enforcement fails to enhance public safety and merely penalizes drivers.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that New Jersey experienced a 10% reduction in traffic fatalities in 2023, achieving a lower fatality rate than states using red-light cameras aggressively.

"In fact, NJ has a better fatality rate than every single state that uses automated enforcement! Of the top 5 safest states, only one permits automated enforcement," noted Sen. O'Scanlon. He criticized politicians endorsing these measures as "lazy, incompetent or corrupt."

“If red-light cameras actually made roads safer, states using them would be leading in traffic safety, but the data says otherwise,” concluded Sen. O’Scanlon. He described them as mechanisms imposing regressive taxes affecting the poor most severely.

For further details on this issue or to contact Senator O'Scanlon, reach out to Chris Sivel at [email protected].