The proliferation of speed cameras across Czech roads is proving to be a lucrative venture for municipalities, with single radar installations capable of generating millions of crowns annually in revenue. While local authorities maintain their primary goal is traffic calming and resident safety, the numbers tell a compelling story of enforcement’s financial impact.
According to the Czech Metrology Institute, the number of section speed cameras has doubled over the past five years, with more than 400 currently in operation across the country. The town of Všechlapy, situated on a busy first-class road, initially collected around 15 million crowns in fines, though this figure has since decreased to roughly one-third as drivers adapted their behavior.
In Liberec, newly installed radars show zero tolerance for speed violations, with the city collecting 1.6 million crowns in just five months. The impact is clear: before installation, 90% of drivers exceeded the speed limit; now, only 4,500 monthly violations occur among 120,000 passing vehicles. The city plans to use these funds to purchase new public transport buses.
The city of Plzeň presents another success story, where section speed monitoring has been in place since 2015. The number of offenders on Plaská Street has dropped to one-third of initial violations. In 2023, the city issued fines totaling 9.3 million crowns, with 8.1 million already collected by November 20th.
Despite some criticism that drivers focus more on their speedometers than the road, local authorities view this technology as an effective tool for traffic calming. With new installations planned in various municipalities, including Benešov, where three-quarters of drivers currently violate the 30 km/h limit, the trend of automated speed enforcement shows no signs of slowing.