PRESS RELEASE from the
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE

CONTACT: Micky Horstman (312) 607-4977

2.8 million Chicago speed camera fines in 2021: more tickets than city residents
Illinois Policy Institute investigation found speed cameras cost Chicagoans $89 million last year, but safety got worse

CHICAGO (April 4, 2022) — After Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot lowered the ticketing threshold on automatic speed cameras to just 6 mph above the speed limit, a new analysis finds Chicago raised more than double the previous year’s revenue from speeding tickets.

According to the Illinois Policy Institute investigation, 2.8 million speed camera tickets were issued in 2021 – more tickets than there are residents of Chicago. The city brought in $89 million from speeding tickets in 2021. Nearly two-thirds of the revenue from automatic speed cameras came from a new category of $35 tickets. The Lightfoot policy lowered the speeding target to 6 mph from 10 mph for a $35 ticket. Driving over 10 mph still costs Chicagoans $100.

Lightfoot pointed to the new policy as a way to decrease traffic accidents and fatalities, however the investigation found traffic fatalities increased 13% in 2021. Similarly, Chicago traffic data did not show a significant reduction in total city vehicle crashes.

“Chicago’s cameras have turned out to be a huge cash machine for a city constantly on the financial edge. And numbers show the system is extracting the most dollars from those who can least afford it,” said Adam Schuster, vice president of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute. “This policy is bad for Chicagoans and bad for public trust and transparency in city government. City leaders should rethink this nickel-and-diming approach.”

Chicago’s cash cow:

• Chicago has 160 speed cameras. Twenty-seven each generated more than $1 million from city drivers during the year. Ten of those cameras generated more than $2 million and two topped $3 million.
• Chicago has seen a growth in tickets per day of over 665%.
• More than one-third of the most lucrative cameras – 23% of total city revenue – came from the largely impoverished South Side of Chicago, issuing $20 million in tickets.
• Nearly half of tickets received by low-income residents incur late fees and additional penalties before they are paid. That compares to just 17% for upper-income drivers. Late penalties drive up the cost of tickets, turning a $35 citation into an $85 fine.

To read more about Chicago’s speed cameras, visit illin.is/speedcam.

For bookings or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.