Letters to the Editor: California’s new speed cameras won’t deter wealthy drivers

To the editor: If there aren’t going to be criminal or Department of Motor Vehicle penalties for speeding under the new speed-camera program, then the fines really need to be based on the driver’s income.

A $50 fine may be a massive burden for someone living below the poverty line, but is barely noticeable to a rich person. We’re basically allowing rich people to pay to speed with this system.

Several other countries issue traffic fines based on the driver’s income, which acts as a much better deterrent against dangerous driving.

Justin Johnson, Redondo Beach

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To the editor: The argument that automated enforcement mechanisms often disproportionately ticket drivers in communities of color and communities experiencing poverty is absurd.

No matter who is ticketed, it was their own action that resulted in the violation. The cameras aren’t biased.

Robert Diller, Pasadena

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To the editor: Your article says, “It is the first time California will permit speed cameras.”

That doesn’t mean we never had them.

I got a speed-camera ticket in Pasadena traveling southbound on South Pasadena Avenue about 35 years ago. I can still remember almost the exact location.

Kathy Musial, Altadena