what it comes down to is that it is just a revenue produceing scam that is legal..Anyone that thinks the presence of a camera would have saved a loved one is really dreaming. In my view it is just another way for the goverment to take JUST a little bit of a persons reason to scream about big brother....after all its all about safety. once you can take JUST a little bit, you can take more and more a little easier.

 

Florida has a terrible prob with red light runners. I usually wait a couple of seconds after the light turns green before taking off, but then sometimes some impatient folks honk behind me to get me moving. I like the cameras.. FL just "ok'ed" them statewide. If you try to make a light and don't or not stop on red for a right turn.. pay the ticket. I don't feel sorry at all.

Some items I found in local newspapers in central FL:

State studies show traffic cameras prevent t-bone collisions and reduce crashes with injuries by up to 25 percent, but other studies show they can also increase the number of rear-end collisions.

Red-light cameras at Conroy Road and Vineland Road catch more than 40 drivers per day, or nearly two per hour.

Just two weeks after the city turned on the cameras, more than 1,100 motorists have been cited for running red lights by Orlando's new traffic-surveillance system.

 

What the red light camera does (I never said it would have 'saved' my daughter) is perhaps encourage somewhat better driving habits. If it does that at all I am in favor of them. So what if it produces cash for some municipality. There are those (drivers & riders it would seem) that look at amber lights as a personal challenge to speed up and get across the intersection. If you don't see the amber as a warning to slow down and stop, you will one day get 'tagged' by another idiot in a similar hurry that likes to be first off the line on red. No one here rides/drives like that, do they?

 

I don't think these photo lights or the speed vans make one bit of difference. If you want to change a behavior the consequence has to happen in a timely fashion. Someone running a light and then getting a ticket a week later isn't going to change the behavior, it is only going to make them mad.

Try this analogy...you want to paper train your new dog. So, the puppy pisses on the floor...the behavior. Normally, you'd spray it with a squirt gun, or yell at it or something, but you do the correction immediately and pretty soon the dog learns, "if I **** on the floor, something bad happens so I won't do that anymore."

Now try the behavior change like the stop light cameras work. The puppy pisses on the floor, a week later you apply the correction. How long do you think it would take for the dog to learn "don't **** on the floor"? Right, the dog would never learn.

Red light cameras are the same. They are only revenue-producers because the correction (the ticket) comes way too late to impact the behavior.

 

i remember reading something somewhere where law enforcement would try to coerce you into giving information on the actual driver of the vehicle, but technically, you are not required to. something about a pesky little document called the constitution. they will tell you all kinds of stuff about how you could go to jail etc, but it all boils down to one thing: they lie.

found it: it is for california though, but could apply in other states as well?

highway robbery

 

A traffic camera takes a picture of the car after it runs the light. It might even take a picture of a T-bone collision but it cannot PREVENT anything. Reduce maybe, not prevent.

 

I do NOT like traffic camera's.
Randomly having a real live uniformed officer in a marked car pulling drivers over with their roof lights on is a better warning for would-be speeders when isolated to a small area of trouble.
Think about it..how many times do you slow down or make sure to avoid rolling stops in a certain area because you KNOW it is a hot spot for tickets.
Sending out a ticket by mail will get the message out to only one person at a time..
In populated areas 100 drivers going by the area can see and learn from the one officer giving the ticket. Kinda like a warning.

 

Plus traffic camera tickets are more expensive in many areas than face to face officer interaction...in my opinion it comes down to wanting to better the situation with education and some fines or it is just about increasing revenue.

 

right, but if ya get popped by one it may just make you more aware of the possible outcome of running one, weather by accident or purpose, which could save someones life. maybe yours...

revenue generator or not, L E needs to crackdown hard or traffic problems of all kinds, speed, txting, talkin on cell phones, etc. make it to the point that if your caught, you pay the fine. period. no getting the citation dismissed. when people realize that there will be a penalty for violations then we will start seeing a reduction in the issuse's

 

Gillie....Gillie !..........GILLIE !............did You do that ?................................................. ............sorry