Sask. photo radar issues lead to 31% drop in speeding tickets

A recent decline in the number of speeding tickets issued in Saskatchewan had nothing to do with drivers.

Dead batteries in Saskatchewan’s photo radar systems were a major factor that led to a dip in tickets this past winter, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) spokesperson Tyler McMurchy.

“So in November, December, the first three months of 2023, it did affect the performance of the cameras so [they] captured fewer violations and my understanding is that fewer tickets were issued as a result.”

And fewer tickets there were:

From January through April – 17,882 violations were recorded province wide on days when the cameras were working. That compares to 26,066 the previous winter, marking an 8,184 or 31 per cent decrease.

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The dip was especially prevalent in Regina.

According to the most recent Board of Police Commissioners report, a 54 per cent drop in automated speed enforcement (ASE) tickets were issued in the first six months of 2023 as compared to 2022.

SGI does not plan to seek compensation from the service provider for lost revenue.

“The real value of photo speed enforcement is not the revenue that it generates but it’s the deterrence effect,” McMurchy explained. “So when people drive through those very clearly marked photo speed enforcement zones, they understand that there’s a chance they’ll get a ticket if they are spending past it.”

SGI says the battery problem did not impact the accuracy of speeds recorded.

The Crown corporation believes the system is now fully functional, although violation statistics for the spring and summer have yet to be reported because of a computer problem.