Automatic surveillance cameras increase government revenue

Stricter monitoring has caused considerable growth in the number of fines

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Finnish police’s tightened attitudes towards compliance with speed limits together with automatic surveillance cameras monitoring traffic have been increasing public revenues from the enforcement of traffic rules year by year.
     
In 2008, the pecuniary penalties imposed on speeding motorists already generated approximately EUR 42 million, while the corresponding figure for 2006 was only EUR 25 million. The sum appears to have been growing by around 20 per cent every year.
      In 2006, the number of speeding tickets issued by the police was 133,000, but in 2009, the number was already more than 300,000.
      The preliminary information gathered by Statistics Finland indicates that the current year will set another new record.
     
According to the National Police Board, the increased number of fines is mainly attributable to the tightened monitoring. In addition, the number of speed limit enforcement cameras has increased considerably.
      The police estimate that one speed camera flashes in anger 2,000 times per year on average. The fixed fine is usually around EUR 100. In other words, one fixed camera mounted on a pole could easily generate approximately EUR 200,000, provided that the police have time to handle all speeding cases.
      Currently, the total number of such camera systems in the entire country is 950, and in the next few years, another 300 camera systems will be installed.
     
The growth in the number of fines does not indicate that motorists would be speeding more than previously. The police just intervene in speeding situations more easily than before.
      ”The number of fines imposed on the basis of automatic surveillance has not increased. In fact the opposite is true”, says Superintendent Heikki Ihalainen from the National Police Board.
     
A system that measures average speeds is also being tested in Finland. In this trial, post cameras measure the average speed of motorists between two surveillance points.
      Heikki Ihalainen from the National Police Board says that the average speeds have declined and that a change for the better can already be seen. He believes that the police authorities’ written cautions for committing a minor speeding violation have had an influence on motorists’ driving habits.
      Ihalainen stresses that police budget appropriations are not in any way lifted by the flashing of the cameras or the patrols' readiness to issue speeding fines.
      "The sums do not interest us. Whether we produce a good or a bad result, the money is always in short supply."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Surveillance cameras improve traffic safety on Finnish highways (1.9.2008)
  Speed cameras to monitor average speeds between two checkpoints (12.10.2007)

See also:
  Intensified police campaign to crack down on speeding in Finland and other European countries this week (23.8.2010)
  Police to commence monitoring of average speeds (19.8.2010)

Links:
  Finnish Police: Automatic Speed Surveillance

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