Not this nonsense again.

Remember the treachery that was the red light camera pilot program? Then, in the Legislature, state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon made it a mission to protect us from this municipal money grab and not only fought to keep the program from becoming permanent but also made sure a law was passed making tickets via cameras illegal.

It was a nightmare. Along the way, it was discovered machines were not properly calibrated, yellow lights were not legally timed, townships had made up their own differing rules on how long you had to remain completely stopped before turning right on red, etc. It was, in millions of people’s opinion, a miscarriage of justice and a terrible idea.

Guess what’s being pushed for by a safety group?

Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety want them back along with catching and ticketing speeders by camera.

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So what’s this group? Their website describes themselves as an “alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement, and safety groups and insurance companies and agents.”

I’d love to know what exactly passes for a "safety group." Might anyone be associated with American Traffic Solutions and Redflex, two for-profit companies that handled many of the intersections in New Jersey?

Redflex wound up being investigated in Illinois for corrupt business practices and lavishing city officials with gifts and their chairman resigned over the scandal.

The 2025 annual report by Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety just came out and gave New Jersey less-than-perfect grades because we won’t allow drivers to be abused this way anymore. They are pushing for Garden State to not only bring back red light cameras but also to use speed cameras to ticket people weeks after the fact through the mail.

Cameras don’t show context. Cameras don’t preserve a driver’s memory weeks later of what circumstances may have been in play and take away the right of a driver to defend themselves. Cameras take away a police officer’s discretion.

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These are simply cash cows for municipalities that were rolling in revenue when they were allowed. If this bad idea is resurrected in the legislature, tell your representative no.

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Gallery Credit: Jeff Deminski

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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