The cameras are back on in Muscatine. On Friday, thanks to a ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court last year, the automated traffic enforcement cameras at five busy intersections resumed issuing citations after being turned off for a couple of years.
Assistant Police Chief Phil Sargent says the number of traffic crashes in the city dropped from 34 a year before the cameras, to 19 after automated enforcement began, with just half the number of injuries.
"That may not sound like a lot - we don't have the number of crashes some bigger cities do, but we still have quite a few. If we can save anyone the problem of being injured in crashes, then it's a successful program. "
And the number of speeding tickets issued at one major intersection, University Drive at Highway 61, was cut in half over several years, thanks to the cameras and automated enforcement.
He'll be watching the Iowa legislature this year to see if it tries again to eliminate traffic cameras, or enact new regulations.
