4 Cameras, 100,000 Speeding Violations in 10-Day Malibu Pilot

A 10-day speed camera pilot in Malibu, California, recorded approximately 100,000 speeding violations, according to a report from KTLA. The trial, conducted in September, used only four cameras.

Malibu officials said the warning period originally scheduled to start after the trial has been delayed while the city studies traffic patterns on Carbon Canyon and Tuna Canyon roads, where most violations occurred. The city is long and narrow, stretching east to west along Pacific Coast Highway, the main target of the enforcement effort.

Drivers can breathe easy for now. No citations or warnings have been issued, and the cameras are not accessing driver information from the DMV or taking any enforcement action, the city stated. Violators may have seen camera flashes, but those don't count.

Once the system goes live, penalties will kick in at 11 mph over the limit. Fines are graduated, but no license points or insurance penalties apply. The city told residents in a newsletter that all revenue will go toward system costs and Pacific Coast Highway safety activity, and that program data will be reported regularly to the Public Safety Commission and the public.

"The City will continue to evaluate this information as it completes the necessary installation changes and traffic studies, with the goal of ensuring that the program is implemented thoughtfully and in support of public safety," Malibu officials told KTLA.

The Drive notes that any license plate camera recording a timestamp could be used as a speed camera if authorities choose, as the UK has demonstrated.

• California
• KTLA
• Malibu
• Pacific Coast Highway
• speed cameras
• Traffic Enforcement