COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado Springs City Council voted to approve placing speed cameras around the city. It passed in a 7-1 vote Tuesday. One of the councilmembers was not present during the vote.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, El Paso County leads the state in fatal accidents. The leading cause of these crashes is speed. The first vote passed last month by a 7-2 vote.
WATCH: Colorado Springs police hoping to place speed cameras around the city
Police say civilian employees would run two vehicles equipped with speed cameras. The marked vans would catch speeders near school zones, parks, residential areas, and construction zones. Those are the areas where state law allows the use of the technology.
El Paso County led the state's fatal accidents with 74 deaths last year, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Colorado Springs wouldn’t be the first department in the state to use the program as Aurora is currently trying it out.
One council member, Dave Donelson, who voted against the cameras says he does not think it will accomplish what police are hoping for.
"If it doesn't really change the numbers, it doesn't change the number of wrecks, the number of deaths, what are what are we really doing?" said Donelson.
The cost of the tickets would range from $40 to $80. So far, there is no cost estimate for the program.
The Gazette's Breeanna Jent contributed to this report.
Email Reporter Jake Walker at jake.walker@koaa.com. Follow @JakeOnAiron Instagram and Jake Walker Media on Facebook.
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