The nation’s capital has become the most expensive U.S. place for motorists caught speeding by traffic cameras, with $257.8 million in fines assessed in 2025, more than New York City, Philadelphia, or any other major city examined in a new national study.
The October 2026 report by Virginia-based law firm Weisberg & Weisberg ranked the District first in camera fines per resident at $371.66, more than triple the $110.80 recorded in second-place Suffolk, Virginia. Washington’s cameras generated 2,266,775 tickets, averaging $113.73 apiece, while some individual cameras produced more than $25,000 in daily assessed penalties.
“Washington, D.C., is balancing its budget on traffic fines. It’s not about safety. It’s about revenue generation,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who introduced federal legislation to eliminate the District’s automated enforcement systems…