Councils set to swap speeding fine revenue for funding

Cities are set to lose municipal funding equal that to which they raise in traffic camera revenue.

It’s a bold move by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who signed off on the law in April which took effect this week.

The plan to do this is by reducing state funding for any city, town or village that operates speed cameras or red light cameras by an amount equal to the revenue gained from collected fines.

The law is designed to test the age-old message that traffic cameras save lives.

Supporters of the new laws have suggested they're interested in proving the theory that traffic cameras cause less crashes, rather than boosting municipal funding through fine collection.

Addendums to the law require all appeals to be heard in court, rather than being sent to an administrative officer, and the abolishment of cameras on interstate highways.

The Ohioan laws come at a time when Australian law enforcement is doubling-down on its mantra that speed cameras save lives.

It's out-of-the-box thinking, but definitely an experiment worth keeping an eye on.

What do you think? Have we got any chance of Australian states introducing similar laws?