D.C. Speed Cameras Generate $85M In Fiscal 2012

You may want to watch your speed when driving in the District, as lead-footed drivers are being drained of major dough.

Speeders and red light runners caught by traffic cameras were hit for nearly $85 million in fines in fiscal year 2012, a record amount in D.C., according to information obtained by AAA.

The worst road — or best in the view of the District coffers — was Route 295. As many as 243,000 automated speeding tickets were issued by cameras in multiple locations for a total of $24 million in fines issued.

AAA says a lot of the problem is that drivers continue to confuse that ten-mile stretch of 295, weaving from the District line to the Maryland border for a high-speed, multi-lane highway, and drive accordingly fast.

Nearly half of the $85 million total came from just ten speed cameras, alone. Among the 50 or so red-light cameras stationed around town, three of the five busiest ones are on New York Avenue.