Israel Police Speed Camera Enforcement Yields 100,000 Tickets in 2.5 Months

Israel Police have significantly increased enforcement of speed limits using their red-light and speed cameras, known as A-3 cameras, approximately two and a half months after lowering the enforcement threshold. These cameras, which also detect vehicles running red lights, have issued around 100,000 speeding tickets in this period. This figure represents about one-third of the total tickets issued by these cameras in the seven months prior to the change.

The A-3 cameras, a long-standing fixture on Israeli roads, measure speed by timing vehicles over metal strips embedded in the road. Previously, they operated with a "tolerance margin," meaning drivers slightly exceeding the speed limit were not ticketed. Enforcement officials estimate this margin allowed for speeds up to 10% over the limit.

In August, coinciding with a legal change that allows for faster judicial processing of minor speeding offenses, police announced they would recalibrate the cameras to ticket even minor speed infractions. Police data indicates that since the beginning of the year, the A-3 cameras have issued a total of 383,617 tickets, with 367,053 for speeding and 16,564 for running red lights. While the exact number of tickets issued since the threshold was lowered is not specified, the 100,000 figure for speeding tickets in the last two and a half months is derived from comparing current totals with data from before the change.

Police data does not specify how many of the recent tickets were for very minor speeding violations, and it is noted that drivers often slow down before approaching these cameras. However, the police maintain that speeding is a dangerous offense and are committed to strict enforcement to ensure road safety. The A-3 cameras are slated to remain operational until 2029.