Viewpoint: Montana’s dumbest traffic law

Doug James

What are other communities doing to make roads safer?

Here’s a clue. It is illegal in Montana.

Using technology.

Communities across America are using automated red-light enforcement cameras, speed cameras, and automated ticketing systems to make roads safer.  They are saving lives. Preventing injuries.

But not in Montana.  In the absence of modern technology, driving defensively is critical. It’s a survival strategy.    Why? Because we have to assume that every stop sign, traffic light, and speed limit is a polite suggestion.  Really.  Some people drive like their driver’s license is a hunting license.

The odds of someone getting a ticket for running a red light are about the same as winning the lottery.

Automated cameras are everywhere:

Atlanta – 60,844.

Denver – 14,043.

Washington, D.C. – 35,082.

Philadelphia – 46,957.

New York City – 70,882.

Los Angeles – 39,790.

Montana?

Zero.  None.

Montana is one of the most restrictive places in the world. The United Kingdom, Australia, Sweeden, China, and more than a dozen other countries make extensive use of traffic cameras.

Cameras are everywhere.  A camera recently caught Judge Ryan Nelson, a Trump appointed Ninth Circuit Judge, assaulting another person in a parking lot. There are the ubiquitous doorbell cameras and entryway cameras.  Security cameras.

You probably have one.

But traffic cameras. “Government Overreach.”  When did technology become “woke?”

22 states and the District of Columbia have found a cost-effective way to make streets safer. Technology. Automated red-light enforcement cameras, speed cameras, and automated ticketing systems. Traffic cameras and license plate readers are making school zones, construction zones, and dangerous intersections safer. They make people slow down. They reduce accidents. And, many of those accidents involve pedestrians and bicyclists. Cameras also free up our police officers to concentrate on other important matters.

But in Montana? It’s against the law. Yep. Traffic cameras are illegal. In 2009, the Montana Legislature passed a bill to make the use of cameras for traffic control illegal. Montana Code Annotated Section 61-8-206 (2025) provides that an “automated enforcement system designed to detect traffic violations that is attached to a traffic control device may not be used to enforce traffic laws.”

Since 2009, using modern technology to make our streets safer has been illegal. It’s illogical. Cameras are nearly everywhere today.

Technology can save us money. It’s cheaper than using patrol officers and police cars. And, statistics show that it works. It reduces accidents. And, this technology pays for itself.

Montana’s law is an archaic prohibition. Medieval governance.  Montana should embrace technology and smart infrastructure. It will save lives and money.

Not every street, not every city or town needs traffic cameras. But they should have that option. Law enforcement is busy. Traffic enforcement is important, but not a priority.  Almost non-existent. That’s the thing. Cameras are always there. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We can make our communities and our streets safer simply by allowing our cities and towns to decide on their own if they want to use traffic cameras. Most probably won’t. Those who do will be safer and will receive extra revenue.

We need to embrace modern (really not so modern) technology to make our communities safer.  We can’t justify prohibition.  It’s bad policy. It would take several police officers to replace one camera. We can’t afford the officers. The choice is no enforcement, or change the law.

Rethink this one. Technology can save us money and make us safer. We should embrace it, not make it illegal.

Repeal Montana Code Annotated Section 61-8-206 (2025). Let local governments decide whether or not to use cameras.

Doug James is a retired Montana attorney and an advocate for smart public policy.