Bluff City, Tennessee Signs Contract for Speed Camera Program with American Traffic Solutions

BLUFF CITY, Tenn.--The City of Bluff City, Tennessee has signed a contract with American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS) to implement a speed photo-enforcement program to make Highway 11-E safer for drivers. The cameras will monitor speed in both directions on the highway.

"After complaints from several citizens, the city conducted a five-day test on the 11-E traffic,” said Bluff City Mayor Todd Malone. “We were shocked to learn from a recent traffic study that more than 2,000 vehicles a day were sailing through our 45 mile-per-hour speed zone at higher than 55 mph. These are not our residents, but through-traffic which ignores the speed limit and puts our citizens in harm’s way. The Board of Mayor and Alderman know it is our responsibility to protect our citizens, and we want to make our community safer before a tragic accident occurs.”

Speeding is a factor in about one-third of all fatal crashes, killing more than 1,000 Americans every month. In 2007, more than 13,000 people died in speed-related crashes. Based on a national representative sample of police-reported crashes that year, speed was a factor in about 15 percent of property-damage only crashes and 26 percent of crashes involving injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the economic cost of speed-related crashes is more than $40 billion each year. (Source: NTSA. 2008. Traffic safety facts, 2007: speeding. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation.)

Bluff City Chief of Police David Nelson noted that the city had done extensive research on the impact of a speed photo-enforcement program. “I spoke to the cities of Mt. Carmel and Red Bank, which have speed camera programs, and researched data from several additional communities. They all reported significant violation reductions after the cameras were installed, making roadways safer for all drivers.”

The City hopes to have the cameras installed by late summer and plans a 30-day grace period during which the cameras will operate but no fines will be issued. Chief Nelson explained, “Every step of our program will be fully notified via local media.”

The City has selected Arizona-based ATS to supply and maintain its digital cameras. ATS also provides red-light and speed enforcement programs to Gallatin, Red Bank and Jackson, Tenn., as well as more than 160 other cities and communities across the US and Canada.