Key facts
- Flock Safety cameras, used for automated license plate reading, are being criticized by safety advocates for posing potential roadside crash risks.
- Many cameras are painted black, making them difficult to see, and are installed on metal rods without breakaway plates, a safety feature designed to reduce impact in collisions.
- Advocates point to instances where cameras are placed closer to travel lanes than federal guidelines recommend, increasing the danger for drivers who leave the road.
- Flock Safety asserts that it adheres to all state and local requirements for camera installations and that customers determine camera locations based on public safety priorities.
- Despite safety concerns, police departments and Flock Safety highlight the cameras' effectiveness in crime reduction, including recovering stolen property and locating missing persons.
Safety advocates are raising concerns about the physical placement and design of Flock Safety's automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, arguing they pose a significant crash risk to drivers. These cameras, often painted black and difficult to see, are frequently installed on metal rods lacking breakaway features, which are designed to mitigate impact in vehicle collisions. Advocates, including Steve Eimers, who lost his daughter in a crash involving a roadside structure, have documented numerous installations that violate federal guidelines, such as being placed too close to travel lanes. The Federal Highway Administration mandates that roadside sign supports in clear zones be breakaway, yielding, or shielded. However, Eimers states that most Flock poles lack the required breakaway plates, and even when present, they are often positioned too high. While Flock Safety and police departments maintain that the cameras are effective crime reduction tools and that installations follow all applicable requirements, safety advocates argue that these structures are not adequately inspected for compliance with roadside safety standards. The company states that customers determine camera locations and that it works with them to meet requirements, planning a review of its camera pole installations.