Chesterfield camera error flags drivers who weren't speeding
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One of Chesterfield's speed enforcement cameras sent out speeding warnings to drivers who weren't speeding, Chesterfield police said last week.
Why it matters: Police say they'll notify affected drivers, but acknowledge errors like this can create confusion.
State of play: The recent Chesterfield issue stemmed from a vendor programming error, which set the speed limit for a camera near Woolridge Elementary at 25 mph instead of 35, police told WWBT.
- Chesterfield police did not respond to a request for the number of warnings issued before it became aware of the issue last Monday, March 23.
- Chesterfield will also restart a 30-day warning period for the Woolridge Road camera beginning on April 6, once students are back from spring break.
Zoom in: The AI-driven, automatic dispensing traffic enforcement cameras like Chesterfield's are cropping up all over the region.
- Richmond, which was the first in the metro to add the speed cameras, now has 26 running near 13 schools, plus red light enforcement cameras at two intersections, with more on the way.
- Chesterfield's cameras cover 18 county schools.
- The city and the county have AI-powered cameras on school buses, programmed to catch drivers who fail to stop.
Yes, but: Some of these AI-powered programs have a history of issuing erroneous or incorrect tickets.
- In Virginia, Fairfax and Altavista police departments had to refund school zone speed camera tickets in recent years due to a program error or insufficient warning signs.
- And Winchester court dismissed more than two dozen citations there in 2024 due to errors.
What we're watching: How the billing works shakes out now that most Richmond-area toll roads switch to all-electronic tolling.
- The first batch of notices should be in the mail, says RMTA.