Florida Governor Signs Bill Regulating Use of Traffic Cameras Statewide

Governor Charlie Crist today signed legislation that creates statewide standards for the use of cameras as traffic enforcement devices.

House Bill 325, the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, requires cameras to be tested regularly and to comply with specifications established by the Florida Department of Transportation.

The bill also requires that a notification of violation must be issued before a formal traffic citation and that points cannot be assessed toward a person’s driver license.

A portion of the funds from traffic fines will go to the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, which supports the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Earlier today, the Governor held a signing ceremony in Bradenton where he was joined by Melissa Wandall, wife of Mark Wandall, the legislation’s namesake who was killed by a red-light runner in 2003,

In addition to the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, a portion of the funds from traffic violations will also go to the Department of Health Administrative Trust Fund, which supports trauma centers, as well as general revenue and the county or municipality in which the violation occurred.

In 2008, there were 76 fatalities and more than 5,600 motor vehicle-related injuries caused by drivers who disregarded a traffic signal in Florida, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle. Traffic signal violations were the sixth highest cause of traffic-related fatalities and the third highest cause of traffic-related injuries in 2008.