Montgomery County's speed camera system is the most lucrative in Maryland, taking in almost a quarter of the state's automated traffic enforcement fine revenue.

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Speed cameras serve a safety purpose. They also bring in money — a lot of it.

And in Maryland, the most money comes to Montgomery County.

Maryland’s largest county had the state’s most lucrative speed camera system last year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic, citing government data — $15,954,868 in speed camera revenue.

Montgomery County’s total amounts to almost one-quarter of the state’s $64 million in automated traffic enforcement fine data during Fiscal Year 2018.

Speed violators pay a $40 fine for each infraction caught on a Maryland speed camera — Montgomery County’s sum equates to 398,871 paid speed camera citations.

Actually, last year’s numbers were the lowest since 2015, when 507,531 speeding motorists paid in Montgomery County.

The city of Baltimore’s speed cameras brought in the second-highest amount, followed by Prince George’s and Baltimore counties.

The fifth-most-lucrative system belongs to College Park, with a population of approximately 33,000.

Here is AAA’s complete list, based on Maryland’s Police Training and Standards Commission, Comptroller of Maryland, Department of Legislative Service, and the Montgomery County operating budget.