Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Lawmakers raise concerns over Nevada speed camera bill

CARSON CITY — Nevada lawmakers on Tuesday expressed concern over legislation that would give governments the ability to install red light and speed cameras to capture traffic violations.

Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson said the enforcement cameras will first appear in low-income communities, instead of in more affluent neighborhoods.

"In Los Angeles or California, that is what happened, and that's where they started," he said during a hearing on the legislation. "They have more of them in low-income communities ... They don't have them in Brentwood."

Atkinson said he killed a similar bill in 2009.

The bill says an automated traffic enforcement system creates a photograph that can be used as evidence of a traffic violation. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports more than a dozen states have both red light and speed cameras.

Amy Davey, an administrator with the Department of Public Safety, told lawmakers the system would only be used for traffic light and speed violations. She argued the system is shown to reduce crash fatalities and serious injuries. But after questioning, she said some studies show rear-end collisions can increase.