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A pair of bills designed to make roads safer through use of automatic cameras raised questions in a Friday legislative hearing, with law enforcement and a civil rights group expressing concerns about surveillance and the protections afforded those accused of violating the law. LB616 from Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha would allow localities to use automatic cameras to catch drivers who run red lights.
Drivers would receive a choice between paying a fee or attending a free driver safety course. John Cavanaugh LB600 from Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington would expand move-over laws and let the state enforce lower speed limits in work zones.
That bill targets reckless drivers and would let the Nebraska Department of Transportation install cameras at work zones that trigger when a diver exceeds the speed limit by 11 mph. Drivers first receive a warning. A second infraction in three years would draw a $75 fine.
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State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha speaks during the first day of Nebraska’s 2025 legislative session at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
He has proposed a bill to allow use of automatic red light cameras to catch drivers who run through red lights. Cavanaugh and DeBoer both told the Legislature's Judiciary Committee their ultimate goal is to deter unsafe behaviors rather than penalize drivers. "We've had too many people die on the roads," DeBoer said.
"Let's figure out a way to make this work." John Ross supported both bills and said he was in a crash at a Lincoln intersection, but he and the other driver each claimed they had a green light. He said a camera on the intersection may resolve disagreements over fault in a crash and would also at least encourage someone to proceed more safely through an intersection.
Wendy DeBoer Twenty-one states and Washington, D.C., allow for automatic red light cameras.
Vicki Kramer, director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation, said driving is the most dangerous activity most people do in a day. She said Nebraska sees six fatal work zone crashes per year and about 100 with injuries. Kramer noted Interstate 80 is a hotspot for these crashes and said warning signs would precede the work zone cameras to give drivers a chance to slow down.
The cameras, she said, would be a relief to law enforcement, who do not have the personnel to patrol all the highway construction zones. Opponents' concerns for the bills included privacy issues and the data that private providers gather and potentially sell or use. Spike Eickholt, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, also questioned the legality of the two bills, saying they turned a criminal traffic offense into a civil offense.
While both bills set relatively low fees for drivers that don't involve points that affect insurance, Eickholt said the bills work around the criminal process without a presumption of innocence or opportunity to face your accuser in court. Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington flips through the proposed tax bill while debating LB34 during the legislative special session at the Capitol on Tuesday, Aug.
13, 2024. DeBoer has proposed allowing automatic cameras to detect speeding in work zones. Both Cavanaugh and DeBoer preemptively acknowledged those concerns, saying they want to work on ways to challenge a violation.
They called the bills works in progress that attempt solutions for serious safety concerns. The Douglas County Sheriff's office also opposed both bills over privacy issues, and the associations representing Nebraska's police chiefs and sheriffs opposed LB616. Kearney Police Chief Bryan Waugh spoke on behalf of those agencies and said he is concerned red light cameras may cause drivers to overcorrect, braking hard when uncertain if they can get through a yellow light causing the next car to rear end them.
Timothy Adams, a traffic engineer who worked with Omaha on its plan to end traffic deaths, said those accidents are less likely severe than ones that may result from running a red light. Adams said drivers would have to adjust to traffic changes, but they learn and become safer. Red light cameras have a track record of reducing intersection crashes and may save dozens of lives in Nebraska, said Adams, who noted that his wife received minor injuries after she was hit by a car that ran a red light on Antelope Valley Parkway in Lincoln.
The state also saw an uptick in traffic deaths. The 251 people who died on Nebraska roadways were a 17-year high for the state, Kramer said. Download the new Journal Star News Mobile App Meet Nebraska state senators making laws in 2025 District 49 Bob Andersen Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2725 bandersen@leg.
ne.gov District 14 John Arch La Vista Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2730 [email protected].
gov District 18 Christy Armendariz Omaha Elected 2022 402-471-2618 [email protected] District 21 Beau Ballard Lincoln Appointed 2023, elected 2024 402-471-2673 bballard@leg.
ne.gov District 25 Carolyn Bosn Lincoln Appointed 2023, elected 2024 402-471-2731 [email protected].
gov District 29 Eliot Bostar Lincoln Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2734 [email protected] District 32 Tom Brandt Plymouth Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2711 tbrandt@leg.
ne.gov District 9 John Cavanaugh Omaha Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2723 [email protected].
gov District 6 Machaela Cavanaugh Omaha Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2714 [email protected] District 2 Robert Clements Elmwood Appt.
2017, elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2613 [email protected] District 37 Stanley Clouse Kearney Elected 2024 402-471-2726 sclouse@leg.
ne.gov District 46 Danielle Conrad Lincoln Elected 2022 402-471-2720 [email protected].
gov District 10 Wendy DeBoer Bennington Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2718 [email protected] District 40 Barry DeKay Niobrara Elected 2022 402-471-2801 bdekay@leg.
ne.gov District 30 Myron Dorn Adams Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2620 [email protected].
gov District 19 Robert Dover Norfolk Appointed 2022, elected 2024 402-471-2929 [email protected] District 26 George Dungan Lincoln Elected 2022 402-471-2610 gdungan@leg.
ne.gov District 20 John Fredrickson Omaha Elected 2022 402-471-2622 [email protected].
gov District 7 Dunixi Guereca Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2721 [email protected] District 1 Bob Hallstrom Syracuse Elected 2024 402-471-2733 bhallstrom@leg.
ne.gov District 16 Ben Hansen Blair Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2728 [email protected].
gov District 48 Brian Hardin Gering Elected 2022 402-471-2802 [email protected] District 36 Rick Holdcroft Bellevue Elected 2022 402-471-2642 rholdcroft@leg.
ne.gov District 24 Jana Hughes Seward Elected 2022 402-471-2756 [email protected].
gov District 8 Megan Hunt Omaha Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2722 [email protected] District 44 Teresa Ibach Sumner Elected 2022 402-471-2805 tibach@leg.
ne.gov District 42 Mike Jacobson North Platte Appt. 2022, elected 2022 402-471-2729 mjacobson@leg.
ne.gov District 5 Margo Juarez Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2710 [email protected].
gov District 31 Kathleen Kauth Omaha Appt. 2022, elected 2022, 2024 402-471-2327 [email protected].
gov District 34 Loren Lippincott Central City Elected 2022 402-471-2630 [email protected] District 33 Dan Lonowski Hastings Elected 2024 402-471-2712 dlonowski@leg.
ne.gov District 41 Dan McKeon Amherst Elected 2024 402-471-2885 [email protected].
gov District 11 Terrell McKinney Omaha Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2612 [email protected] District 17 Glen Meyer Pender Elected 2024 402-471-2716 gmeyer@leg.
ne.gov District 22 Mike Moser Columbus Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2715 [email protected].
gov District 38 Dave Murman Glenvil Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2732 [email protected] District 27 Jason Prokop Lincoln Elected 2024 402-471-2632 jprokop@leg.
ne.gov District 35 Dan Quick Grand Island Elected 2024 402-471-2617 [email protected].
gov District 28 Jane Raybould Lincoln Elected 2022 402-471-2633 [email protected] District 12 Merv Riepe Ralston Elected 2022 402-471-2623 mriepe@leg.
ne.gov District 3 Victor Rountree Bellevue Elected 2024 402-471-2627 [email protected].
gov District 45 Rita Sanders Bellevue Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2615 [email protected] District 39 Tony Sorrentino Elkhorn Elected 2024 402-471-2885 tsorrentino@leg.
ne.gov District 13 Ashlei Spivey Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2727 [email protected].
gov District 43 Tanya Storer Whitman Elected 2024 402-471-2628 [email protected] District 23 Jared Storm David City Elected 2024 402-471-2719 jstorm@leg.
ne.gov District 47 Paul Strommen Sidney Elected 2024 402-471-2616 [email protected].
gov District 4 R. Brad von Gillern Elkhorn Elected 2022 402-471-2621 [email protected].
gov District 15 Dave Wordekemper Fremont Elected 2024 402-471-2625 [email protected] Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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