WJLA/ABC7 – Washington, DC has quickly gained a reputation for its parking and traffic tickets. There are high concentrations of cameras, high fines and basically no way to challenge the fines being issued. According to research, over $1 billion in tickets have been issued in DC in just three years, which is the highest of any major city in the US. Last year alone saw $375 million in tickets being issued.
According to the AAA's Mid-Atlantic Public Relations Manager John Townsend, "It is predatory ticketing. That's precisely what it is. And I defy the District to say otherwise."
Townsend says that there is no evidence that shows an increase in speeding cameras, traffic light cameras and parking tickets or raising their fines shows any improvement in driver behaviors. "We've looked high and low. We looked across the globe and we have not found one major study that proves there is a link between the amount of the fine and compliance," he says.
ABC7 reached out to the District, asking for evidence that cameras and high fines decrease the rates of car accidents and injuries or deaths, and the District says it hadn't done any studies on the topic.
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