Motorists vs traffic cameras

If you rear-end someone, 99% certainty is that YOU will be charged for following too close. Lesson: do NOT tailgate.

What if you are front-ended? That happened to me. A small shuttle bus (seated about 20) backed into me.

Jeff

I do not care what tactic is used to determine speeders, red light runners, school zone passers, ID picture/video drivers behind the wheel at said infraction, tail-gaters, evasive action taked by drivers trying to avoid such detection by primary and detected by secondary, et al. My only concern that its accurate and doesn't misdetect law abiding drivers doing something that's not true. That is, ALL are innocent until proven guilty.

Film is not used by any light running dectection device that I'm aware of.

Subject to traffic laws in the PUBLIC roadway, all are required to abide by local traffic laws and posted signs. Where is there privacy law in the public domain of the public roadway? The way I see it, the more people push the issue by attempting to circumvent the traffic laws, the more they get "spied" on as a result due to lack of increased likewise traffic control personnel/police to accomodate. They are creating the environment you state in solice as an infringement. These same people made our bed, now we all have to sleep in it..

My fear is only misdetection of innocents by such equipment. But, from my by observation of the world, its not unusual for the bad to take some of the good with them in the real world. A few innocents always pay a price for the many that don't care about their law-abiding highway travelers. Whether is be a so-called "accident" or some malfunctioning equipment meant to find those that choose to disobey traffic law. Welcome to reality, the real world.

Tired of the whining about an imperfect world that same people promulgate that process. Grrow up.

Which explains why people were so happy when Bush started to intercept our phone calls, email and other info, as well as find out what library books we read, without telling us.

Who are "they?"

I thought we were the government. What did your representatives and other elected officials say when you mailed them about your concerns? After all, you're the boss.

Maybe that's because it is important to keep both the streets and highways safe.

Jeff

Traffic cameras can not be use to prosecute a "moving offence" in Pennsylvania, with the exception of Philadelphia and Pittsburg. From what I know about the state Constitution I do not understand how those two cities get an exception, because a moving violation effects the driver privileges and how do the prove the owner was driving?

In Pennsylvania the duration of the three light settings is set by PaDOT, in the warrant that is issued to the jurisdiction to install the traffic signal. There is also a total time during to which the total cycle is limited. As to the duration of the Yellow Caution light it is set too the posted speed limit, so that a driver proceeding at the speed limit and within 100 feet will not get a red. A drive can not be charge with a violation one he has enter the intersection on yellow. E. E. If one is making a left turn in PA the Code requires you to do so from the LEFT CENTER of the intersection, not from behind the crosswalk or stop line. The Code also requires a driver to CLEAR the intersection once you enter the intersection, so if the light is yellow or even RED you must complete the turn. If the speed limit is the 55 MPH limit it has a longer duration than the 35 MPH limit. 55 and 35 are the standard assumed speed limits in Pennsylvania and need not be posted. The other permissible speeds like 65 must be posted within one half mile of each access points to the limited access highways. Any speed after one leaves a 65 MPH roadway MUST be posted albeit it 55 or 35. In "built up areas" the speed limit is 35 if no other speed limit is in force such as a 25 limit that PaDOT has determined is more prudent than 35. If a speed limit is other than 55 or 35 it must be posted every 1/2 mile with a sign to indicate the start and end of that speed limit.

Something one will see quit frequently in Pennsylvania is speed limit signs and other "Traffic Control Devices" posted on utility poles, in the Boroughs. They are not legal traffic control devices by definition. ALL legal traffic control signage MUST be attached to it own stanchion and in a way consistent with PaDOT regulations, as to height, distance from the roadway. color, size etc.

The state of Pennsylvania is the only state in which signs and road markings are NOT legal traffic control devices, only "recommendations" like YELLOW traffic signage and double yellow lines.

Pa DOT installs double yellow lines on clear stretches of roadway if there is less that 1/2 in which to pass but by themselves, in the absence of black on white "Do not Pass" or "No Passing Zone" signs, such double yellow lines are NOT legal traffic control devices and one can pass If the do so safely as describe in Title 75.

The PSP are the only police that us RADAR. The law requires a six mile leeway but the PSP by practice allows ten miles over the posted limit. Local police can not us RADAR, they use VASCAR. The law requires a leeway of 10 MPH. Distric Justices that hear traffic case GENERALLY do not convict at speed under 15 MPH.

One more, in Pennsylvania Sheriffs are NOT peace officers, they only take charge of the duties of the County Courts like transporting prisoners etc.. With the exception of in a few Counties, they are not armed.

"Jeff" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@n33g2000vba.googlegroups.com... On Mar 28, 2:22 pm, "HLS" wrote:

In NJ and PA, the law is that if you can safely stop when there is a yellow light, you are supposed to stop. Obviously, that is a judgment call.

In PA, for speed limits less than 60 mph, the judge may not find you guilty unless you are going 10 mph over the speed limit or 5 mph for speed limits over 55 mph.

In PA, if you're exceeding the speed limit in a construction zone, even only going 1 mph over the limit, the judge may find you guilty (i.e., the above limitations don't apply).

Unfortunately, there are too many deaths of road construction workers.

A lot of people seem to think of road safety rules as inconveniences, but lives *do* depend on them just like those pesky safety rules for construction workers building skyscrapers are important (e.g., wearing helmets, wearing safety harnesses so that workers don't fall to their deaths, no smoking around chemicals like gasoline). Personally, I like have a pulse, so I wear my seat belt when I drive, I rarely use a cell phone and stick to the speed limit (more or less).

Jeff

Some laws are bullshit, e.g. some well engineered roads could support much higher speed limits.

Yet, higher speeds mean more fuel used and CO2 generated, and people may not be up to driving at higher speeds, at least with the skills they presently possess.

Jeff

Jeff, ah....did Bush ever intercept any of your phone calls? Who do you personally know that Bush intercepted their phone calls? Who do you DON'T know that Bush intercepted their phone calls? You call yourself educated, I find that extremely difficult to believe Jeff.

Jeff wrote:

You're a funny man. all they do is sit in the median and run radar. I've been cut off by other drivers right in front of a cop but generally they're too busy watching the radar gun to notice.

If you can't safely drive a modern car at 80 MPH on an Interstate highway under good conditions, you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car at all. The "skill" required to do so is minimal.

nate

Yes, but I don't have the time to stop and explain to the officer why I have a car in my trunk . . . . I've gone without a serious accident since 1988 and I'm trying to keep it that way.

Sir Charles THE Curmudgeon

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:15:54 -0500, Dioclese cast forth these pearls of wisdom...:

That is the most incoherent post I've read here in a while. You might want to try again without using words and sentence structure that are beyond your grasp.

Umm, 5.78% ???

I'm sure your single data point is more valid then a study of hundreds of accidents.

Drivers manuals are notorious for miss-stating the law.

I'll have to try to find that one.

That may be true, but it is still a good habit to signal. If you just do it, it becomes a good habit and there is no thinking to evaluate the traffic and determine if a signal is needed or not. Same with turn signal.

I never said I liked it. But, I don't like personal accountability denial either. Nor do I like actions of others that radically affect the ability of one to drive on the public roadway safely, as well as their affecting the emmotional state (anger and road rage temptation).

I live in a rural area a few miles from a very small town. The only time I see highway polcing is with laser/radar guns when I go to the big city. I usually have no visual of any police officer, be it city, county or state, if I'm "lucky" enough to be in the big city on the highway during rush hour(s).

I dont know whether the law allows you not to signal when there is no traffic or not here in Texas.. I can look it up.

On Beltway 8, there is seldom the case that there is no traffic. If I complain about people not signaling, then obviously there are people who are affected.

We Texans are really bad about turning on our headlights in rain and dusk/dark conditions.

And, again, we are pretty bad about hogging the left lane (which is a passing lane).