Red Light Cameras

win231

win231

SF VIP
Location
CA
So....I'm driving around, running errands. It's dark outside. I'm approaching an intersection that has one of those cameras that take your photo if you commit a violation. The light is yellow, so I start slowing down. I look in my mirror & see a woman tailgating. And she's looking down; maybe texting or dialing. Instead of braking normally, I start tapping my brakes to flash my taillights to maybe get her attention. I figured if I stopped normally, she'd probably run into me. Since that increased my stopping distance, I ended up stopping just past that painted line (didn't run the red light), then the camera flashed twice....just as I heard her brakes screech; she just barely missed hitting me.

Today, I got a "Traffic Violation" in the mail. It described me, my car & said "A clear photo was taken of you running a red light."
I thought it was a ticket, but at the bottom of the letter, it said, "This is only a warning; not a citation, no reply is necessary." Then it describes how dangerous it is to run red lights.

I'm wondering, since the city would never miss a chance to collect a fine, is the real reason I wasn't ticketed because it isn't legal to issue a citation unless a cop witnesses the violation?
 

The legality of such cameras is constantly debated. Court cases have found them illegal, but municipalities still have them up, some still functioning. I suppose you got the warning because the town knew it couldn't make a violation fine stick, if you challenged it in court.
 
They can't seem here in Orlando to decide WHAT to do about the red-light cameras. They're on....they're off....they're back on again.

A couple of months ago, the Spousal Equivalent got a citation for running a toll booth in Tampa last summer. Several problems there: we were out of state for the summer, the license plate wasn't his and the picture of the car was a dark subcompact (he owns a white pick-up truck). When he called to get it straightened out, he was told, "Oh, yes, there was a problem with the computers. Just ignore it." OK, we've ignored it, but I wouldn't be surprised if that citation is still floating around out there somewhere with his name on it......
 
Don't know about the US but they're quite legal in the UK and many countries in Europe, not just for red lights but lots of moving traffic violations such as illegal turns or seat belt violations.

Today they've just announced a new device which detects if you are using a phone and will alert the nearest traffic unit.
 
Oahu used to have red light cameras until it came too complicated to manage, so people keep running red lights. I've personally seen it happen numerous times.

Here's one comment about red light cameras.

Opponents say it could cause more crashes when people stop suddenly or speed up to avoid being ticketed.
Click to expand...

How about driving the speed limit and following the law begin with? Too much trouble? Never learned to always look ahead to avoid problems like having to suddenly stop?
 
Many of our traffic lights have cameras mounted next to them. I've gotten tickets for speeding, and once for running a red light (you're OK if it's yellow when you enter the intersection, not if it has turned red already. Of course this is a matter of fractions of a second.) The cameras are perfectly legitimate, and universally hated. Most people feel that they are not really improving safe driving at all, they are just a way
of raising revenue for the county.

(I should add that the "speeding" tickets were for obvious speed traps, where the speed limit suddenly and unexpectedly drops abruptly, sometimes as much as 20 mph.)
 
All the cameras in our area were removed a few years ago as the public objected. We are now considering a law that allows you to "run" a red light if no one is coming so you don't have to wait for the light to change. Our turn signals will be yellow, (like for a left turn) on a red light so if no one is coming you can turn left on a red light (hard to explain).

People are always in a hurry.
 
Aneeda72 said:
All the cameras in our area were removed a few years ago as the public objected. We are now considering a law that allows you to "run" a red light if no one is coming so you don't have to wait for the light to change. Our turn signals will be yellow, (like for a left turn) on a red light so if no one is coming you can turn left on a red light (hard to explain).

People are always in a hurry.
Click to expand...

That sounds very dangerous to me in that it doesn't seem to take pedestrians into consideration. There have been many times that a driver making a left turn on green and a driver making a legal right turn almost ran me over because they were looking only at other cars. That's an especially good way to totally forget pedestrians when they hardly do it now. I've had to literally scream at a driver for them to come out of their coma to stop for me. On right turns, all it takes is for one driver to shoot pass a pedestrian about to walk across the road for the others to quickly follow thereby leaving the pedestrian (me) unable to cross the street.

What is so precious about a driver's time over a pedestrian's?
 
I still feel red light camera's are just another money grab. Bad enough when they install them, but, then they get caught shortening the length of time between yellow and red. They were caught around Tampa doing just that. :mad:

Like Jujube was saying, I too got a ticket in the mail from Tampa telling me I ran a toll booth. Was a wonderful picture of some truck with a boat hooked to it. (I don't have a truck) The plate was easy to read and wasn't even close to mine. When I called, I got that pat answer... computer glitch... Looks to me that if a person doesn't check carefully and just pays that the city makes a few extra bucks.

Here's my answer when I'm told it's to make the intersection safer. How about instead of lights changing immediately, they have a built in delay of....say 3-4 seconds. That way, all sides would have a red light. I know it won't stop all the fools from running a light, but, I'll bet it would make the intersection safer in the long run.
I know this will never happen, but, I can dream can't I?
 
Who needs more protection, do you think?

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In a grim reminder of the dangers of Hawaii roadways to those who aren’t shielded by steel and glass, crashes last year killed more pedestrians in the islands than occupants in vehicles.
Click to expand...
 
We’ve had those damned things forever out here and they just renewed the contract for the next 6 years. You can (well, I did) contest the fine and it’ll be knocked down by 50% with just writing a note on the citation. I actually avoid the area it’s at.
 
squatting dog said:
I still feel red light camera's are just another money grab. Bad enough when they install them, but, then they get caught shortening the length of time between yellow and red. They were caught around Tampa doing just that. :mad:

Like Jujube was saying, I too got a ticket in the mail from Tampa telling me I ran a toll booth. Was a wonderful picture of some truck with a boat hooked to it. (I don't have a truck) The plate was easy to read and wasn't even close to mine. When I called, I got that pat answer... computer glitch... Looks to me that if a person doesn't check carefully and just pays that the city makes a few extra bucks.

Here's my answer when I'm told it's to make the intersection safer. How about instead of lights changing immediately, they have a built in delay of....say 3-4 seconds. That way, all sides would have a red light. I know it won't stop all the fools from running a light, but, I'll bet it would make the intersection safer in the long run.
I know this will never happen, but, I can dream can't I?
Click to expand...

If they did that, how would paramedics, cops, judges, lawyers, doctors justify their salaries? And they would have lots of free time on their hands.

Another stupid thing: Some intersections have "Walk," "Don't Walk," Red & Green lights. When a car is waiting to make a right turn, the light turns green for BOTH the car AND the pedestrian waiting to cross. Drivers are conditioned to go on Green lights. Also, sometimes the light will turn green but the light below it says "Don't Walk." Many pedestrians will cross as soon as they see the Green. I've had nightmares after seeing pedestrians get run over.
 
We have delayed red lights which are useless.

People in our area run red lights all the time, three and four cars at a time. People making left hand turns have to be extremely careful. If you make a left hand turn and are hit by a car, running a red light, you get the ticket. This means even though we are a no fault state it's your fault and your insurance pays.

Yesterday, we heard sirens and saw the squad car. A person making a left hand turn couldn't see the car but certainly heard the siren. Still they proceeded. Imagine their surprise when they completed the turn and found themselves facing a squad car in their lane on the wrong side of the street. Bet their tidy whitey were no longer so pristine. Lol.

The collision was narrowly avoided.
 
well glory be thank god I live in a town without ANY lights or zebra crossings - we do have speeding sign posts - very friendly !
 
I am a pedestrian. I never walk out just because the light turns green and the walk sign is on.

The guys turning right on a red light are the worst for a pedestrian. We have had a few deaths lately. The driver is looking left for cars coming. Does not see the pedestrian. I'm buying a yellow vest.
 
Well, wife and I have noticed just how much people here in Jacksonville, Florida hate red lights and stop signs. Really. Constantly seeing people run stop signs in the area of our apartment complex. Because of the lack of crime in our area, very few officers patrol the area. A major reason more and more people are moving into the area where our complex is. People here love to tailgate. A "fast-paced" and "speedy" lifestyle is what is here. Even though there are some, but not many, Seniors that live here, Jacksonville is definitely NOT a "slow-paced" retirement area. It's almost like Los Angeles, Calif.

But, all of the red light cameras have been taken out. That just makes those that like running red lights, want to move here. Can't wait to move and get back to a "slower-paced" area.
 
Now, here is a funny red-light short story:

A husband, in So California, got a red light ticket in the mail. He didn't tell his wife about it, but did go to police station to investigate it. They let him look at the picture the camera took. Yes, it was his car, but it wasn't him behind the wheel, it was another man and in the passengers seat was the wife of the man that got the ticket in the mail. Yes, turns out that his wife was having an affair when he was out-of-town on business.

The man went home, confronted his wife about the ticket, she denied it. He packed his things and moved out of the home and filed for divorce the next day! j
 
Red light cameras are legal in Pennsylvania. Unless the driver can show that he wasn’t operating his vehicle at the time and place of the violation, he is usually found guilty.
 
Olivia said:
How about driving the speed limit and following the law begin with? Too much trouble? Never learned to always look ahead to avoid problems like having to suddenly stop?
Click to expand...

Amen to that. I'm sick and tired of idiots who think they have the GOD GIVEN RIGHT to drive 20 mph over the speed limit and to tailgate me right on my bumper if I don't. Same goes for the idiots who think they have a 5 second grace period after the signal turns red before they have to stop for it.

 
Contrary to what some people believe, red light cameras are not put up as a money grab. The cameras do not come cheap, so they have to be paid for initially by using taxpayer’s money. Over time, fines will pay these costs. It’s doubtful that any village or city could station a cop at every corner with a redlight, so the next best thing is to use a camera with underground sensors.

These cameras have become very controversial because they only take a picture of the car and license plate. Many drivers that receive a fine in the mail will challenge the fine and tell the judge that they weren’t the driver. In PA, our law states that the vehicle is receiving the fine and that the vehicle’s owner is responsible for the fine.
 
It seems like even if the camera doesn't work it would serve as a deterrent.

That seems to be happening around my city with the bubble-shaped crime cameras. The cameras don't really stop crime but they seem to gradually move the criminals away from a corner store, bus stop, etc...

It seems like these days people aren't really concerned with obeying the law/rules as much as they are about the odds of getting caught/punished. It really doesn't seem to matter if it's a traffic light, parking violation, college admission, income tax, etc...
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top