WASHINGTON -- District Mayor Anthony Williams responded Friday after AAA Mid-Atlantic designated the entire D.C. area as a "strict enforcement area."

The auto club said the designation was made because of the District's use of automated traffic enforcement technology, such as red-light cameras, to "rigorously enforce" traffic laws.

"(The automated enforcement program's) supporters laud it for improving traffic safety in the District, while critics contend it serves primarily as a revenue generator for the District government," Lon Anderson, AAA Mid-Atlantic's Director of Public and Government Affairs, said in a statement. "But because the District uses this technology so aggressively and to date has collected over $100 million, largely from non-D.C. residents, using automated enforcement, our local advisory board requested the national AAA office to take this step."

The mayor responded to the designation by calling it a "badge of honor."

"We're a strict enforcement zone because we know that strict enforcement, when combined with education and engineering, makes our roadways safer and saves lives," Williams said in a statement.

The designation means any AAA members who request travel information about Washington, D.C., will be advised of the strict enforcement label.

Williams said the strict enforcement was why there was a 35 percent reduction in traffic fatalities in the District in 2004.

"We appreciate AAA Mid-Atlantic helping us spread the word about the need for everyone to follow traffic laws in D.C.," Williams said.