Can You Get a Ticket in Maine for Being Caught Speeding on a Traffic Light Camera?

You've probably noticed that many traffic lights in Maine have cameras mounted on them, pointed in the direction of each intersection. Have you ever wondered if they are recording you, and might you get a ticket if you are caught on camera speeding or running a red light?

Cameras are commonplace at traffic lights today. They work much better at detecting traffic than coils buried in the road, though at the time, they revolutionized how traffic lights work, allowing them to adjust to the flow of traffic rather than stay on a fixed cycle.

There's a YouTube channel called the Traffic Light Doctor, run by a guy who works on traffic lights. Here, he explains what those cameras are for, and shows us how they work.

According to The Traffic Light Doctor, surveillance cameras do exist, but is Maine using them to ticket speeders or people running red lights?

The answer is no, according to Maine Statute:

 The state or a municipality may not use a traffic

surveillance camera to prove or enforce a violation of this Title. For purposes of this section, "traffic surveillance camera" means a device that, in conjunction with a lighted traffic-control device or a lane direction control device, as described in section 2057, subsections 1 and 3, or a speed measurement device as described in section 2075, subsection 4, automatically produces one or more photographs, one or more microphotographs, a videotape or any other recorded image of a vehicle at the time the vehicle is operated in violation of state law.

The only exceptions to this rule are cameras on school buses to provide footage of drivers passing stopped school buses, and the Maine Turnpike, which uses cameras in EZ-Pass lanes at toll booths to bill people who do not pay the toll.

So no. You don't need to worry about being caught on camera speeding or running red lights anywhere in Maine. However, if a police officer sees you doing those things, good luck.