Ontario's new Liberal government recently announced it is considering bringing back photo radar to catch speeding drivers.
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According to the Canada Safety Council and the Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson, electronic enforcement is a proven, cost-effective way to reduce speeding violations and most Ontarians want it.
At the monthly meeting of the Greater Sudbury Police Service's board Monday, Davidson said if photo radar will slow down speeding drivers then he's in favour of it returning
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The former NDP provincial government introduced photo radar to Ontario highways and roadways more than 10 years ago, but the Mike Harris Tory government immediately eliminated it once they took office in 1995.
In August, 2003, the Canada Safety Council commissioned a survey to find out how Canadians feel about traditional traffic enforcement and how receptive they are to the use of high-tech devices to enforce traffic laws.
The survey found Canadians are very positive about traffic enforcement by police and 55 per cent felt the current level is about right, while another 35 per cent said they'd like to see more traffic enforcement. Less than 10 per cent felt there were too many police officers involved in traffic enforcement.
Â?There's no substitute for strong police visibility in problem areas,Â? said Canada Safety Council president Emile Therien, in a press release. Â?But the police can't be everywhere.
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Under photo radar legislation, cameras, instead of police, identify vehicles that are breaking the speed limit and the owner of the offending vehicle is fined but no points are assigned to anyone's driving record
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Therien says one of every six fatal collisions involves speeding, but it can be very dangerous for police to chase speeders on busy highways.
The survey found 66 per cent of Ontarians support photo radar on highways. When asked if there should be warning signs to advise of the possible presence of photo enforcement, almost 70 per cent of respondents said yes.
When drivers know they could be caught if they speed, fewer choose to break the law and the result is our road are safer, said Therien.
The real purpose of photo radar isn't to catch people breaking the speeding laws, but to top them from offending in the first place, he said.
The measure should not be how many offenders are caught and how many fines are paid, but rather focus on the decrease in collisions and offences, he said.
