My friend got tagged by a red light camera

[irwin]

The damage? Only $351. :heh:

883kb! http://www.littleboyinc.com/uploader/uploads/spank.gif
http://www.redflagd.com/bas/media/ticket.jpg

I think the last pic really captures his eyes.

[yippiekiyeh]

Those cameras sure are sneaky, you think that you're all safe and surprise in the mail...

And to think about $150 of those dollars is to pay the company that works those cameras! Damn good money!

[bachviet]

The only reason cities put up these cameras is the extra revenues.

[CornMonkey]

hmm, i think i got caught at a red last week... anyone know how long it takes before i get sent a notice/ticket?

[Jane83]

a week. my uncle got a nice $500 picture of himself in his m5.
prices range from location too i believe.
this one was on La Cienega & Wilshire in BH.

[DarkFury]

time to invest in some "James Bond" flipping license plates. :hihi:

[CornMonkey]

a week. my uncle got a nice $500 picture of himself in his m5.
prices range from location too i believe.
this one was on La Cienega & Wilshire in BH.
$500??? CRAP!!

great scots i hope my ticket won't be that much...(assuming i got caught). i was caught on jefferson blvd in culver city. argh...

[blueindian]

the put those contraptions in my town for about 2 months, then took them back out 'cause too many of the pictures weren't clear enough to ticket someone.

i think they are a good idea (at least on paper, i don't like the "big brother" aspect). . .running red lights is dangerous. i do think they should wait 1-2 seconds after the light turns red before snapping the pic though.

[Merlin]

The only reason cities put up these cameras is the extra revenues.
They say that they put them up in the areas where they have the most accidents from running red lights. So for safety they need to cut it down. But I tend to agree with you that they are just looking for another way into my wallett.


i do think they should wait 1-2 seconds after the light turns red before snapping the pic though.
I don't remember the exact number now because it has been a while but when I lived in Scottsdale AZ in the late 90's they rolled out the system there and the delay was in line with what you want. If you get caught on the tail end of a yellow you'd be fine. You had to pretty blatantly run the light to get caught.

If you are really afraid of this happening the best thing I could advise is to register your car under your wife's name and her car under yours (substitute names as necessary) This way when the ticket comes to one person you could go to court and say to the judge that it clearly is not you driving.

[mcs328]

We have lots here in the DC Metro area. We also have speed cameras. The number of T-bone accidents have gone down but the number of read-end collisions have gone up. I like the red light camera but I don't like how it's a revenue tool more than a safety tool now versus when it first started up here. The speed cameras I think are ridiculous and also the tax per mile driven and plans to kill HOV and make it all tolls instead. Damn Virginia is a greedy but cheakskate state.

[OC]

It's called personal responsibility. If you really don't want to get caught, the solution is incredibly simple - don't rush red lights. It's no one's fault but your own if you get nailed.

Trying to find ways to get away with running red lights is pathetic.

[bachviet]

...

If you are really afraid of this happening the best thing I could advise is to register your car under your wife's name and her car under yours (substitute names as necessary) This way when the ticket comes to one person you could go to court and say to the judge that it clearly is not you driving.
You still have to pay for the ticket unless you give the court name of the person who drives your car. The only good thing is that you don't get the point.

Like mcs328 said above, the T-bone accidents might have come down but the rear end accidents go up and there is more delay because people started braking at green lights (or may be just the Asian drivers here in Westminster/Garden Grove).

I think these tickets cost around $300 to $350 in OC.

[gear02]

It's called personal responsibility. If you really don't want to get caught, the solution is incredibly simple - don't rush red lights. It's no one's fault but your own if you get nailed.

Trying to find ways to get away with running red lights is pathetic.

I'd agree, but there's one of those lights here in VA near my place. It's on a highway (50) and people always go about 60 on it. They don't give enough time to stop between the yellow and red, which really sucks. If someone hit the brakes there's a good chance someone will rear end him...

[Merlin]

You still have to pay for the ticket unless you give the court name of the person who drives your car. The only good thing is that you don't get the point.

And by that time the statue of limitations on a traffic violation is most likely up. And they would still need to track that other person down and make the case - much more hassle. Are they going to bother? Probably not. Of course your mileage may vary but it is the best way to go if you are in an area that is camera crazy.

[attgig]

for anyone living in/near baltimore...just got this in an e-mail forwards a few weeks ago:

Subject: Fw: Red Light Cameras

Here is a complete list of the new traffic cameras. Safe driving!

The Phase II cameras are digital. They will send you and ticket with a picture but you will also be given an ID number where you can go online

and watch yourself running the red light. They look like glass bubbles

and will not flash as you go through the light.

PHASE I LOCATIONS

Northern Parkway & Falls Rd.

Northern Parkway & York Rd.

Reisterstown Road & Patterson Ave.

Eastern Avenue & Kane St.

Edmonson Avenue & Hilton St.

Edmonson Avenue & Cooks La.

Franklin Street & Pulaski St.

Orleans Street & Gay St.

President Street & Fayette St.

Russell Street NB & Hamburg St.

Russell Street SB & Hamburg St.

Light Street & Pratt Street

Pulaski Highway & Monument St.

MLK Jr. Blvd. & Washington Blvd.

Franklin Street & Franklintown Rd.

Hillen Road & Argonne Dr.

North Avenue & Howard Str.

Patapsco Avenue & 4th St.

Lombard Street & Gay St.

Reisterstown Road SB & Fallstaff Rd.

Hanover Street & Cromwell St.

Park Heights Avenue NB & Hayward Ave.

Park Heights Avenue SB & Hayward Ave.

Harford Road & North Ave.

MLK Jr. Blvd. & Pratt St.

Northern Parkway EB & Greenspring Aven.

Northern Parkway WB & Greenspring Ave.

Reisterstown Road & Menlo Dr.

Edmonson Ave. & Athol Ave. / Woodridge EB Edmonson Avenue & Athol

Ave.

Frederick Avenue & Catherine St.

Park Heights Avenue & Violet Ave.

Sinclair Lane & Moravia Rd.

Russell Street & Bayard St.

Wilkens Avenue & Desoto La.

Pratt Street & Howard St.

Northern Parkway & Waverly Way

Cold Spring Lane & Hillen Rd.

Liberty Heights Avenue & Dukeland St.

Hanover Street & Reedbird Ave.

Ft. Smallwood Road & Ft. Armistead Rd.

Wabash Avenue & Garrison Blvd.

Walther Avenue & Glenmore Ave.

Franklin Street & Cathedral St.

Perring Parkway & Belvedere Ave.

Cold Spring Lane & Roland Ave.

Cold Spring Lane & Loch Raven Blvd.

PHASE II LOCATIONS

Caton Avenue NB & Benson Ave.

Caton Avenue SB & Benson Ave.

Reisterstown Road & Druid Park Dr.

Wilkens Avenue & Pine Heights Ave.

East 33rd Street EB & The Alameda

The Alameda SB & East 33rd St.

York Road & Gittings Ave.

Potee Street & Talbot St.

Gwynns Falls Pkwy & Garrison Blvd.

Charles Street & Lake Ave.

Wabash Avenue & Belvedere Ave.

Harford Road & Walther Blvd.

Orleans Street & Linwood Ave.

Erdman Avenue EB & Macon St.

Erdman Avenue WB & Macon St.

Macon Street NB & Erdman Ave.



Department of Transportation
Charles L. Benton Building
417 E. Fayette Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

[sizemic1]

They just put some of those up in Escondido.
And I applaud the city for doing so. I have no doubt they make the city money, which in my opinion, isn't a bad thing. But mostly, i'm SO sick and tired of people BLANTANTLY running red lights in my town! My light can turn green, and I swear 2 or 3 more people will continue to make left hand turns in front of me. :angry:

The speed cameras i'm not so crazy about, luckily we don't have those here (yet).

[Merlin]

I am really surprised that these cameras don't get vandalized.

[psycho-]

They just put some of those up in Escondido.
And I applaud the city for doing so. I have no doubt they make the city money, which in my opinion, isn't a bad thing. But mostly, i'm SO sick and tired of people BLANTANTLY running red lights in my town! My light can turn green, and I swear 2 or 3 more people will continue to make left hand turns in front of me. :angry:

The speed cameras i'm not so crazy about, luckily we don't have those here (yet).


I completely agree:

Bachviet, before you complain, I want to ask you this:

have you ever seen someone dying in a car while paramedics are trying to cut the person out; just because someone didn't want to wait for the next green?

I've seen more than my fair share of those, and have almost been involved in blatant red-light running accidents; some which probably would've killed me.

In San Diego county, most of them are put in places where red light running is absolutely blatant. Most of the intersections i have seen that have red light cameras, I've also seen paramedicts use the jaws of life on some mangled car.

So, unless you're somehow justifying the legality of running a red light and possibly hitting an injuring/killing someone; I don't understand how you can complain about them.


I'd agree, but there's one of those lights here in VA near my place. It's on a highway (50) and people always go about 60 on it. They don't give enough time to stop between the yellow and red, which really sucks. If someone hit the brakes there's a good chance someone will rear end him...


Usually, yellow is designed to tell people to "slow down", not "hurry up and try to make it!"

[bachviet]

Nope I haven't seen any of those accidents yet. I'm not justifying running the red light but I'm complaining about the traffic these stupid cameras create. Like I said, the cities put these cameras at highly traffic intersections because of the revenues. I haven't heard of any deadly accidents at those intersections in Little Saigon before these cameras were installed.

BTW pple will continue to run red lights even with the cameras in place. :shrug: What about those intersections without cameras?

[OC]

I'm not justifying running the red light but I'm complaining about the traffic these stupid cameras create.Better traffic than dead people caused by arrogant negligence.

I think people that get tagged by these cameras should also be charged with reckless endangerment.

[DaFunkyUnit]

how about not peeling out when the light turns green? :hmm:

[bachviet]

Better traffic than dead people caused by arrogant negligence.

I think people that get tagged by these cameras should also be charged with reckless endangerment.
So you are telling me that pple won't run red lights if cameras in place???

[OC]

So you are telling me that pple won't run red lights if cameras in place???
That's not what I said at all. People will ultimately do whatever the hell they want to. All I'm saying is that if you get caught running a red light you should pay a damned heavy price for your incredibly dangerous and negligent actions. Cars and trucks are lethal weapons and they need to be operated in a responsible manner. If people can't be trusted to do that, they should be hit hard where it hurts - their wallets and their freedom.

[guiseppewv]

They say that they put them up in the areas where they have the most accidents from running red lights. So for safety they need to cut it down. But I tend to agree with you that they are just looking for another way into my wallett.


I don't remember the exact number now because it has been a while but when I lived in Scottsdale AZ in the late 90's they rolled out the system there and the delay was in line with what you want. If you get caught on the tail end of a yellow you'd be fine. You had to pretty blatantly run the light to get caught.

If you are really afraid of this happening the best thing I could advise is to register your car under your wife's name and her car under yours (substitute names as necessary) This way when the ticket comes to one person you could go to court and say to the judge that it clearly is not you driving.

That won't work. It doesn't matter who the driver is b/c it is the owner's responsibility to pay the fine. If the owner can get the driver to pay then great, if not tough. That is what really pi$$es me off about the whole thing. Even worse is if you get nailed by the camera when you are driving a rental the rental company can charge your credit card for the infraction and you can't contest the charge or the ticket.

Besides if they were just looking out for our safety they would extend the yellow light time and make a second or two where lights are red in all directions. This is purely a money generation device.


It's called personal responsibility. If you really don't want to get caught, the solution is incredibly simple - don't rush red lights. It's no one's fault but your own if you get nailed.

Trying to find ways to get away with running red lights is pathetic.

I have gotten 1 red light ticket and it was not b/c I was running the light. The area was a 35 mph zone and the light turned yellow when I was at the "stop line", it would have been impossible to stop, needless to say I got a ticket. So it isn't always people running red lights that get the tickets.

[guiseppewv]

for anyone living in/near baltimore...just got this in an e-mail forwards a few weeks ago:

Subject: Fw: Red Light Cameras

Here is a complete list of the new traffic cameras. Safe driving!

The Phase II cameras are digital. They will send you and ticket with a picture but you will also be given an ID number where you can go online

and watch yourself running the red light. They look like glass bubbles

and will not flash as you go through the light.

PHASE I LOCATIONS

<snip>


Thanks for the info. When did these cameras go up b/c I always keep an eye out in B-more? Talk about a city that is always running in the red looking to get some more revenue. :angry:



On a side note: Do those liscense plate covers that are supposed to keep you from getting red light camera tickets actually work? Just curious. :)

[Merlin]

That won't work. It doesn't matter who the driver is b/c it is the owner's responsibility to pay the fine.

Last time I checked running a light was a moving violation so the citation would go to the driver, not the car. That's why they take a picture of both the plate and the driver - to prove it was you. Obviously parking tickets work as you have said but moving violations should be different.

Of course if you have personal experience to the contrary I'll defer

[navyones]

On a side note: Do those liscense plate covers that are supposed to keep you from getting red light camera tickets actually work? Just curious. :)

http://www.buyradardetectors.com/Products/images/OnTrack/Super-Protector_l.gif

I had never heard of these covers, until I saw your post. It seems like these things would actually work. I doubt that I will buy one. I figure that I don't need to worry about it, if I don't race the light.

[OC]

I have gotten 1 red light ticket and it was not b/c I was running the light. The area was a 35 mph zone and the light turned yellow when I was at the "stop line", it would have been impossible to stop, needless to say I got a ticket. So it isn't always people running red lights that get the tickets.Was this at a "camera" light or did you get pulled over?

[DankNstickY]

I am really surprised that these cameras don't get vandalized.

they do in other countries

[bachviet]

http://www.buyradardetectors.com/Products/images/OnTrack/Super-Protector_l.gif

I had never heard of these covers, until I saw your post. It seems like these things would actually work. I doubt that I will buy one. I figure that I don't need to worry about it, if I don't race the light.
You could get ticket for the clear license plate cover.

[Kevster]

a week. my uncle got a nice $500 picture of himself in his m5.
prices range from location too i believe.
this one was on La Cienega & Wilshire in BH.

That was the first camera to be installed in Beverly Hills because that intersection was horrible for red-light violations. I know because that's the Larry Flynt Publications building on the corner there and I was an engineer on a huge cabling project there about 10 years ago.

Having been in a major accident with someone who ran a red light, I have no problem with these cameras whatsoever. They are clearly marked with signs posting that it is a photo-enforced interestion before you enter it. If you get a ticket for not paying attention, it's your own damn fault.

I'll say this - they made the La Cienega/Wilshire Blvd. intersection a lot safer.

[navyones]

You could get ticket for the clear license plate cover.

I have heard about the ticket for having a clear license plate cover, but I have also had to pay $20 to get a new sticker after someone stole it.

[Maarchk]

I have heard about the ticket for having a clear license plate cover, but I have also had to pay $20 to get a new sticker after someone stole it.

Damned if you do, and if you dont. they also have out a nifty reflective clear coat that isn't a cover but reflects like back and messes up camera pics... :cool:

[speedracer120]

They have this expensive spray that will boost reflectivity of the flash. Seen it work in several instances. But not sure I want to spray it on my plates just yet. Easiest way to get around it is to risk a $10 fix it ticket. Drive around without a front license plate. All the Hondas I've owned look fine without the front license plate because they lacked "dedicated" spots for the plates. My old Chevy would look pretty conspicuous, but most cops over look the lack of plates on my previous Civic and present Accord.

[kimchicowboy]

i remember reading an article about the most frequent complaints in korea by expats. near the top was the horrible driving conditions. buses, taxis stopped at red lights and just going when no cars are coming. motorcycles crisscrossing all over the place. three cars taking up the width of two lanes. etc. i, for one, am glad to see stuf like those cameras in place. freakin get some responsibility in place.

[WhiskeyPapa]

I have gotten 1 red light ticket and it was not b/c I was running the light. The area was a 35 mph zone and the light turned yellow when I was at the "stop line", it would have been impossible to stop, needless to say I got a ticket. So it isn't always people running red lights that get the tickets.Check your facts. It's legal to enter an intersection when the light is yellow. If the light just turned yellow when you were at the stop line, you would have been able to legally enter the intersection for several seconds.

[Merlin]

How often to these cameras need to be calibrated to make sure they are taking pictures at the right time? Is it possible for one of them to get "out of sync" with the light over time? Or are they always perfect?

[mcs328]

Thanks for the list but I hardly go to Baltimore. The Phase II cameras I think I've seen in MD. I like the fact that it flashes so I know that I'm screwed. I remember early on they installed cameras and shortened the yellow. People complained and they were moved but they still kept the money...at least in DC at least.

They did do an investigation on license plate covers not being picked up by the cameras and it doesn't work. People try hair spray and stuff. Either way if youre caught trying to make your license plate hard to read it's a fine.

[bachviet]

...

They did do an investigation on license plate covers not being picked up by the cameras and it doesn't work. People try hair spray and stuff. Either way if youre caught trying to make your license plate hard to read it's a fine.
Not with the clear spray since you didn't hinder with the plate visibility.

In CA, you can't put cover on the vehicles. Thus cops could give you ticket for clear covers or even vanity frames if they want to.

Check out section "f" of this vehicle code (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5201.htm).

[SmokeyDP]

I dont mind the red light camera's, but you know the money is just going to end up going down the rat hole. Its not going to save the citizens any money in the end.

I do not like those speeding ones however. They are a PIA.

[guiseppewv]

Was this at a "camera" light or did you get pulled over?

A camera light. They didn't have the yellow long enough so it was nailing people who were not running the red. I couldn't fight it b/c I got it while I was in a rental vehicle and the rental company charged my credit card and payed the fine without giving me a chance to plead the case.


Last time I checked running a light was a moving violation so the citation would go to the driver, not the car. That's why they take a picture of both the plate and the driver - to prove it was you. Obviously parking tickets work as you have said but moving violations should be different.

Of course if you have personal experience to the contrary I'll defer

With a red light camera it doesn't go on your permenant record so, as far as the govt is concerned, who was driving is irrelevant. They bill the owner of the vehicle and it is your responsibility to take care of it or to have the person who was driving your car take care of it.


You could get ticket for the clear license plate cover.

In what state? I am curious b/c I think I might get one. :) I would rather be safe than sorry. I don't run red lights but I think photo tickets are BS.


They are clearly marked with signs posting that it is a photo-enforced interestion before you enter it.

They might be clearly marked in CA but in DC/VA and some parts of MD they are not all clearly marked. They prey on the out of towners and tourists.

[guiseppewv]

Damned if you do, and if you dont. they also have out a nifty reflective clear coat that isn't a cover but reflects like back and messes up camera pics... :cool:

This won't work with the new "flashless" digital cameras that they have. :(


They have this expensive spray that will boost reflectivity of the flash. Seen it work in several instances. But not sure I want to spray it on my plates just yet. Easiest way to get around it is to risk a $10 fix it ticket. Drive around without a front license plate. All the Hondas I've owned look fine without the front license plate because they lacked "dedicated" spots for the plates. My old Chevy would look pretty conspicuous, but most cops over look the lack of plates on my previous Civic and present Accord.

Don't they take a pic of the rear of the car too? I think in VA they do. I would love it if they didn't b/c I would definitly do that. I hate the look of a front plate. Ugly. :puke:


Check your facts. It's legal to enter an intersection when the light is yellow. If the light just turned yellow when you were at the stop line, you would have been able to legally enter the intersection for several seconds.

I know what the facts are but the fact of the matter is that I got a ticket and I did not run the red. I was at the line when the light turned yellow and then it turned red really quickly (1 sec maybe). I don't know what to tell you. :shrug:


Thanks for the list but I hardly go to Baltimore. The Phase II cameras I think I've seen in MD. I like the fact that it flashes so I know that I'm screwed. I remember early on they installed cameras and shortened the yellow. People complained and they were moved but they still kept the money...at least in DC at least.


KB0WWP - This is exactly what I was talking about. If you shorten the yellow then you increase the number of "violators". This is what I am guessing happened to me.

[Merlin]

With a red light camera it doesn't go on your permenant record so, as far as the govt is concerned, who was driving is irrelevant. They bill the owner of the vehicle and it is your responsibility to take care of it or to have the person who was driving your car take care of it.

I think that is wrong. Of course it will differ from state to state as so many laws do but a quick search found this for San Diego...


What if the registered owner of the vehicle was not the driver at the time of the violation?

If you did not own or were not driving the vehicle at the time of the violation, please fill out the information in Section D on the back of the citation. This will identify the actual driver. The Section D form must be completely filled out and returned to the Traffic Violations Bureau, P.O. Box 910474, San Diego, CA 92127 at least ten days prior to the appearance date. Do not send the Section D form to the court. The citation will then be re-issued to the correct violator.

What if I received a citation for a vehicle I had previously sold?

The individual should complete Section D (included with the citation) and return it to the Traffic Violations Bureau, P.O. Box 910474, San Diego, CA 92127.


Link (http://www.sandiego.gov/engineering-cip/services/public/rlphoto/faq.shtml#front)

[bachviet]

...



In what state? I am curious b/c I think I might get one. :) I would rather be safe than sorry. I don't run red lights but I think photo tickets are BS.



...
California :disa:

Anyway my Dad got a ticket (red light camera) in DC or Virginia and the ticket actually was sent to the house. He paid for the ticket but it's a lot cheaper than CA (under $100).

I think in CA, there are newer system that take rear license plates also. The old systems only take picture of the front plates.

[mcs328]

They used to have a sign in the DC Metro area that you were at a red light camera...it's like 'Photo Enforced' or something. They don't do that now so you just have to know one when you see one.

I believe the cameras are pressure plate sensitive. There is pressure plate after the stop line and one in the intersection. The first plate shoots a picture of you and the red light and the second is the tags and you in the intersection. Not sure how the mechanics work if you're making a legal right turn on red.

[guiseppewv]

I think that is wrong. Of course it will differ from state to state as so many laws do but a quick search found this for San Diego...



Link (http://www.sandiego.gov/engineering-cip/services/public/rlphoto/faq.shtml#front)

That's not the case on this side of the Mississippi.

[speedracer120]

Yeah, most systems only take the front license plate, and I'll take that risk. I have seen the newer ones with the cameras that rotate quickly (I think the intersection on South and Studebaker in Cerritos has it) and are easily programmed to preset locations. Shoot I used to install such cameras for a short stint. The only problem is lighting.

Honestly, before they start putting up cameras, they should work on putting up easier to see traffic signals. There are certain signals that are just nearly impossible to see because of lighting conditions or because the damn things are just so old and dim. I wish they'd put the led lights on all of the signals already. I especially hate the plastic coated lights that reflect the sun right back into your eyes.

[Svyn]

For fighting cameras with flashes, there are high IR reflective coatings to put on license plates. They work for toll booths that take the picture of your license plate too.

I am against all this big brother camera and video crap. Monitoring the world with cameras can be a useful tool for law enforcement. When they start monitoring where you’re going through toll booths, and tracking your movement that is over the line with me. Especially when it is posted where the general public can view it on the internet.

I don’t have a problem with cameras that don't have high resolution ccd/cmos sensors, high zoom capabilities, or number and face identification properties. For example cameras used for weather conditions or monitoring traffic on highly populated roads are fine. Cameras that are specifically built for tracking movement and identification don't bode well with me.

[tweeteresa]

i was on the corner of sepulveda and santa monica. my left turn light turned green, and i counted 5 cars that were still making a left from the other side. by the time i was able to turn, the light had turned yellow. :angry: usually it's just 2 or 3 max. but 5? come on now people!!

i wish there was a camera on that intersection. it gets really busy there, especially during traffic hours.

[seksiexboy]

i didnt read all the talk above^ but i use a clear lisc plate cover, and it does a good job against the camera =)
its dirty enough so you cant see off a camera but clean enough so cops don't b*tch...
also you know whats funny you guys talking about 'big brother' and stuff..
well this summer while i was in china.. we're taking a toll road, cause they all are toll.
but the funny thing is since the distance is static, if you get from one toll booth to the second too fast, thus meaning breaking the speedlimit, they hand you a ticket with the next toll reciept.. haha pretty ingenious i think
=)
thank god we're not communist
-vince

[guiseppewv]

also you know whats funny you guys talking about 'big brother' and stuff..
well this summer while i was in china.. we're taking a toll road, cause they all are toll.
but the funny thing is since the distance is static, if you get from one toll booth to the second too fast, thus meaning breaking the speedlimit, they hand you a ticket with the next toll reciept.. haha pretty ingenious i think
=)
thank god we're not communist
-vince

I think they do that in New Jersey. I had a friend of mine tell me that is the reason he doesn't have easy pass. They won't check each ticket but if you use easy pass and you make it toll to toll too fast you get a ticket in the mail.

[palayah8ta]

ive noticed a lot of pple on this thread are in So. California, Just to give everyone a heads up. If you EVER goto BREA, CA. Off the freeway exits, for a 1/2 mile, EVERY intersection has red light cameras. Its nutz. Its boredline communist, haha. The fbi is gunna get me

[Nanotech9]

ok, i dont have a source or numbers i can quote, but this was a topic on our local motorcycle website... someone in the field quoted numbers (but i'm too lazy to find them).

something like

1. cameras generated $X revenue for the city per year (in the millions i think)
2. collisions caused by running red lights went down... i believe 20%
3. collisions caused by rear-ends went up 70%

again, i'm too lazy to find my source to back that up, but maybe it will get someone else thinking enough to look it up.

[thebettles]

this is why u shouldnt run red lights, regardless of the ticket


http://poetry.rotten.com/redlight/

[psycho-]

http://www.tf.org/tf/lib&data/redlight.shtml

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersections/redl_facts.htm

[Showtime]

i wish there was a camera on that intersection. it gets really busy there, especially during traffic hours.

There was a TV special on the worst intersections in L.A. and a bunch of intersections got cameras just because of that. It's weird watching cars blatantly run through the intersection 2 or 3+ cars after the light turns red. It's like we were all taught that red means stop, but these people have somehow unlearned the most basic of driving rules.

Once this girl cut me off by turning left on a red light off Wilshire. We were both stuck in the intersection and I pointed to the light and she then she flipped me off. I was like wtf bia..... your lucky your not a man and that your kinda hot... ;)

-j

[thebettles]

looks like gramma hasnt even hit the brakes after hittin the guy

[thebettles]

http://poetry.rotten.com/redlight/


This Photo is not for the squemish

This is the worst case scenario of running a red light,
it may not happen to you, but it might
if you dont run lights, it will not happen to you,
choose wisely

[guiseppewv]

http://www.tf.org/tf/lib&data/redlight.shtml

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersections/redl_facts.htm

From the first link, it looks like a majority of red light fatalities aren't caused by people running a red light and t-boning a car that now has a green light. From their data it is 2 cars going in the opposite direction that account for most fatalities.

[guiseppewv]

Smile. You're on candid cop camera.
In that most representative of public assemblies - the bustling House chamber of the New Hampshire State House - there's an old rebellious notion: In matters of personal responsibility, don't always err on the side of safety. After all, it's the only state not to require that adults wear seat belts.

So when a bill came up in early April to consider allowing robotic traffic cameras at the busiest crossroads, mocking laughter from the gallery preceded the measure's demise.

"The idea that we were going to be photographed [by the government] was anathema to most of us," says Neal Kurk, a Republican from Weare, N.H.

New Hampshire's famously skeptical lawmakers aren't alone in their queasiness. Despite continued growth in the number of "red light cameras," an emboldened opposition has cropped up in state legislatures from Hawaii to Virginia.

Even with their impact on safety still up for debate, the ticketing shutterbugs can be attractive "revenue generators" for local governments and the private companies that make, sell, and maintain them. And though constitutionally sound, the cameras raise privacy concerns among Americans who are already wary of the government riding shotgun.

"The opposition to red-light cameras isn't that they're not useful, but the problem is they're too useful," says Neil Richards, a constitutional law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. "This is part of a trend where [lawmakers] are seeing there's a political advantage to not living in a police state."

From Garland, Tex., to New York City, the number of cameras is still on the rise, with some 140 communities seeing 40 percent more of them in the past two years. In many places, they're a popular way to reduce certain kinds of accidents - mostly side-impact or T-bone collisions - and discourage red-light runners, particularly on packed urban crossroads. More than 300,000 red-light violations were issued in New York in 2003, and traffic deaths dropped in the city from 701 in 1990 to 344 13 years later.

Here in Raleigh, by some measures, total traffic accidents have gone down 25 percent at some half-dozen intersections. Urban lawmakers, backed by numerous police chiefs, say red-light running has become a pandemic - and cameras are a legitimate antidote.

"Numerous courts have ruled that there's no expectation of personal privacy upon a public road," says Chris Galm, spokesman for a camera-industry group called National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running. "The point is to modify their driving habits."

Yet despite the cameras' impact, a growing number of lawmakers say the devices put states on the wrong road. In the past few weeks, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Indiana have all moved to ban or limit their use, following failed attempts to introduce the cameras to Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, and West Virginia last year. Even in New York, the city council has capped the number of cameras at 50. Critics cite privacy concerns, worries about a "money grab" by private companies, and studies showing that while T-bone accidents are reduced, the numbers of rear-end accidents tend to rise as motorists slam on their brakes to avoid tickets.

In Virginia, where cameras have been clicking for 10 years, a sunset clause in the original bill meant the pilot program came back up for a vote this year. The bill was not renewed, and dozens of cameras will be shut down July 1.

Now, as part of the same backlash, eight states are moving to bar insurance companies from peeking at data recorders, or "black boxes," that store driving patterns and are carried in some 30 million American cars.

In Baltimore, a $10 million class-action lawsuit charges that the city reduced the length of yellow lights to boost revenue from red-light runners. A North Carolina court ruled that it's illegal for private companies to make money off of traffic scofflaws. In Greensboro, that means the school district should have received all proceeds from traffic tickets. Now, the city owes its school district millions. While appeals mount, the city has turned off its cameras.

"The question is the extent to which the government is allowed to use this technology against people," says Eric Skrum, a spokesman for the National Motorists Association (NMA) in Waunakee, Wisc. "All these things start off in the guise of safety, but in reality have the potential of being used against you as a revenue generator."

Indeed, the NMA says the cameras put an undue burden on motorists' presumed guilt rather than common-sense solutions, such as increasing the duration of yellow lights. The organization has put out a $10,000 reward for communities that solve red-light problems through engineering rather than enforcement.

Camped out at the corner of Wilmington and Morgan in Raleigh, where a camera monitors the traffic flow, Civil War re-enactor Michael Hicks is on hand to sack the Capitol on the anniversary of Raleigh's fall. He ponders the 21st century, too. "If there's a ticket, there ought to be a cop behind it," he says.

But his comrade Robert Conner sees a greater social good in the camera. "I don't really see it as a privacy issue, since it's a public street," he says. "They also help keep insurance rates down - for everybody."


http://beta.news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20050420/ts_csm/acamera

Glad to see the cameras are becoming an endangered species. :)