Can this technology force drivers to slow down, thus saving lives?
Eyewitness News reporter Marcus Solis has the story.
It often resembles a parking lot. But when traffic opens up, I-95 in Connecticut looks more like a race track.
"I was doing 60 in a 55 mile-an-hour zone, and people were flying by me," motorist Kim Mello said. "It was crazy."
In November, three people were killed in a crash in East Lyme. That is where Governor Jodi Rell now wants to install cameras to catch speeders.
Motorists going above the limit would get a ticket in the mail.
There are already cameras along I-95, but they're used only to monitor congestion, not for enforcement. That responsibility is left to state troopers.
"They could be doing other, much more important work," said Floyd Lapp, of the Southwestern Regional Planning Agency. "We should capitalize on the technology and use it constructively."
The idea is not new. Twenty other states use cameras for enforcement. But what do motorists think of the idea? As you might imagine, it depends on how you drive.
"Let's do it the old-fashioned way and have cops be hiding someone and then find us, and not do it from satellites," motorist Giacomo Capoverdi said.
"I just think it's a great idea," motorist Gary Lishnoff. "I know it's like big brother watching you, but, you know, how else can they do it? State cops can't sit there and pull everybody over."
Officials say $250,000 has been set aside for the pilot program. And with studies showing cameras have been effective in lowering speeds, their implementation could be on the fast track.
