Traffic tickets are a multi-billion industry. They have virtually nothing to do with highway safety, but they have everything to do with money. 

The citizens of the Palos Verdes Peninsula have been needlessly harassed by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Dept. with the full cooperation of the RPV City Council under the guise of traffic safety for several years.

A study by the US Dept. of Transportation (USDOT Report No. FHWA-RD-92-084) found over a period of five years researchers monitored motorist response to speed limits at 227 different locations around the United States. First, motorist speeds were measured at all the locations. Next, the speed limits were raised on some roads and lowered on others while yet others remained the same. The results? Speeds did not change. People continued to drive at speeds that they felt were comfortable and safe, just like you and I do. 

We believe that common sense should prevail in all traffic-related offenses and the residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula should be given the benefit of the doubt before the issuance of a citation occurs. We believe that penalties for speeding and other infractions should be related to the degree of risk involved as stated in CA Vehicle Code 22350.

We needn’t perpetuate the us versus them relationship between police and the citizens. Political leaders can remove some of the laws that have been used to turn our people into prey. They can redefine the role of the police officer, so that once again, we will have police agencies whose only focus is on the protection of and service to, the citizens of their communities.