PRAIRIE CITY, Iowa — A local news article in Prairie City is generating questions coming into the Local 5 newsroom: and it's all about traffic cameras.
Speed cameras generate tickets automatically if they sense a driver going over the speed limit.
But are speed cameras even legal?
Our source: A January 2019 Iowa Supreme Court decision.
The justices found that speed cameras along highways, interstates and city roads do not violate a driver's due process rights.
The fines are small, and there is no use of physical force when someone is ticketed, plus the speed traps don't infringe on someone's fundamental rights to travel, the court ruled.
There are speed cameras all over Iowa: Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Sioux City to name a few places.
And yes, they are now up and running in Prairie City.
Something to keep in mind: local officials have to justify the location of the cameras each year, giving that information to the Iowa Department of Transportation.