The Washington state government is sending a delegation to Finland to find out why Washington’s road death rate is 2.8 times Finland’s.
The delegation could learn a lot by looking online at the traffic enforcement site of the Finnish Poliisi. The site shows use of traffic law enforcement cameras for violations that include speeding, using mobile phones, not wearing seat belts, and running red lights and stop signs.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 14 Washington cities use traffic enforcement cameras. Vancouver is not one of them. If Vancouver councilors and their staff have been reading The Columbian, they would have seen multiple letters about the dangers created by drivers speeding and ignoring traffic control lights and signs. One letter specifically referred to the drivers who violate the 25 mph speed limit on McGillivray.
Cameras would slow down the traffic on McGillivray without the tens of millions the city plans to spend on making McGillivray one lane. Enforcement cameras have the proven effect of slowing traffic and reducing other violations. They are also a source of much-needed revenue. I hope that our councilors will vote to add Vancouver to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety list.
