DALLAS — Anyone who drives in North Texas knows it can be a struggle, especially when we're not all doing our part to keep each other safe.
Can you guess what the biggest problem is on our roads? Speed.
Police departments all across our region say it plays a huge role in serious and even deadly accidents.
And it’s not just a problem here, which is why the use of speed cameras is becoming more common across the country. But not here in Texas, after a 2019 law banned the use of cameras that catch people speeding or running red lights and issuing them fines.
Where they are in use, they snap pictures of speeding cars and use their license plate to send a ticket in the mail.
Critics say it's a way for local governments to make easy money, but officials say it's about preventing crashes, and ultimately saving lives.
Our verify team looked into if they actually do. Here's what they found:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says control studies suggest crashes drop around 20-25% with the use of speed cameras.
The Department of Transportation shows it's highly effective on interstate highways and other freeways, lowering injury crashes by up to 47%.
With or without speed cameras, police departments are doing what they can to fix the issue.
Just last month, Fort Worth Police ramped up traffic enforcement after a jump in driver complaints. The department wrote more than 12,000 citations over six months for speeding and reckless driving.
From Frisco to Mckinney, police have stepped up patrols in response to excessive speeding and racing along multiple highways.
We want to know what you think: Would you support speed cameras going up in North Texas if it meant saving lives?
As always, if you have a traffic concern in your area, you can email us here.