The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(1) Accident data establishes that speeding vehicles have been and are a dangerous problem in Midfield, Alabama.
(2) Studies have found that automated speeding enforcement in a municipal area is a highly accurate method for detecting speeding violations and is very effective in reducing the number of speeding violations and decreasing the number of traffic accidents, deaths, and injuries.
(3) Current Alabama law provides that speeding is a criminal misdemeanor. Under Alabama law, one who commits such a misdemeanor is subject to prosecution only if the misdemeanor was witnessed by either a duly empowered police officer or other witness who makes a verified complaint to a sworn magistrate.
(4) Many jurisdictions that have adopted laws that allow the use of automated speeding enforcement have experienced a significant reduction in the instances of speeding, and the Legislature finds that it should adopt legislation that would authorize the City of Midfield to implement a program for automated speeding enforcement of speeding violations.
(5) By allowing a program for the use of automated traffic cameras in speeding enforcement by the City of Midfield, the Legislature hopes to decrease the rate of speeding violations.
Last modified: May 3, 2021