BETHESDA, Md. -- Montgomery County police speed cameras have caught some vehicles going almost 100 mph over the speed limit.
When Montgomery County decided to put up speed cameras, police said they knew they'd catch people going too fast.
However, they didn't expect to catch anyone going more than 100 mph in front of a school in Bethesda.
The speed limit in front of Wheaton High School on the 4600 block of Randolph Road is 35 mph.
Police in the county confirmed that on Nov. 14, just before 2 a.m., a fixed speed enforcement camera captured a car going 110 mph.
On Dec. 20, on the 1100 block of Briggs Chaney Road, which is also a 35-mph zone, a camera caught someone driving 76 mph.
Those were just two of the thousands of tickets issued since the state-authorized Safe Speed program began last March.
"Our research shows that it is working," said Capt. John Damskey of the Montgomery County Police Department. "People are slowing down and there are fewer accidents."
Montgomery County police said they gave abundant advance notice when the cameras were activated. They said that the $40 ticket is lower than in other cities and carries no point values on driver's licenses.
"It's not a 'gotcha' program," Damskey said.
Motorists in the area expressed their opinions about the cameras.
"They're important, but that one shouldn't be there," one driver said. "It needs to be moved to the intersection."
"I am pretty sure I recently got a ticket," another driver said. "I'm waiting for it to come in the mail."
The program has earned the police department about $2.8 million since it began.
Officials said that it also helps free up officers to deal with matters other than speeding.
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