Motorists vs traffic cameras

Wall Street Journal

...Once a rarity, traffic cameras are filming away across the country. And they're not just focusing their sights on red-light runners. The latest technology includes cameras that keep tabs on highways to catch speeders in the act and infrared license-plate readers that nab ticket and tax scofflaws.

Drivers -- many accusing law enforcement of using spy tactics to trap unsuspecting citizens -- are fighting back with everything from pick axes to camera-blocking Santa Clauses. They're moving beyond radar detectors and CB radios to wage their own tech war against detection, using sprays that promise to blur license numbers and Web sites that plot the cameras' locations and offer tips to beat them...

Continued:

formatting link

Reply to
rtc
Loading thread data ...

Just slow down and dont run through the red lights and you dont have to worry about that sort of crap. Do Americans really believe that everything is okay, as long as you dont get caught?

Reply to
HLS

I don't believe that I won't get caught if I'm not doing anything wrong.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

It's a well known fact that speeding doesn't cause accidents, it's driver's not paying attention. But you can't get someone for not paying attention. You can get speeders, so that's what they go after. The easy way to get rid of the cameras is to drive less than the posted limit. Once they do their yearly consultation and evaluation then the cameras will be found too expensive to operate. But if they can't raise money that way, then they'll raise it some other way. Isn't it better to have law breakers pay the "hidden tax" than to have everyone pay it?

rtc wrote:

Reply to
Erness Wild

Being intoxicated is a large factor, but speed is frequently a contributing factor. Stopping distance is proportional to the square of the speed. The severity of accidents goes up even more as speed increases.

The idea is to get people to obey the traffic laws, not raise money.

-- Ron

Reply to
Ron Peterson

Read the article or read it again, the point of the article was it has become a revenue generating mechanism.

Reply to
Fat Moe

Just get a can of clear high gloss spray Poly or Acrilic finish, spray it on a plate and a Clear Lisence plate cover, the reflection will overexpose the camera at the plate, or you can spend 40$ for a can of the same.

Reply to
ransley

You obviously have never driven in Chicago traffic, or you would understand that the above sentence is an utter impossibility here. People are already getting rearended here because they jam on the brakes on a yellow now at these redlight cameras.

Sir Charles THE Curmudgeon

Reply to
CharlesTheCurmudgeon

I understand that part. Cops have long used zealous prosecution as a revenue generating mechanism. Usually (but certainly not always), however, if you aren't breaking a law, they dont catch you in the snare.

Reply to
HLS

Being intoxicated is a large factor, but speed is frequently a contributing factor. Stopping distance is proportional to the square of the speed. The severity of accidents goes up even more as speed increases.

The idea is to get people to obey the traffic laws, not raise money.

-- Ron

WRONG. Here in Chicago, everybody breaks the law. They 'increase enforcement' not to get people to obey the law, but to raise revenue, just like your typical speed trap does. That's why a certain stretch of I-294 is always 'under construction', so they can fine you 375 at a minimum and not just 100 or so.

It's all a 'revenue' gimmick. They can't raise taxes, so they harrass you with tickets. Cops gotta pay for their donuts somehow.

In Illinois, a lot of the traffic laws make no sense anyway. It's been a law since 1965 to signal at least 100 feet before making a turn, and when changing lanes, and nobody does it here.

Sir Charles THE Curmudgeon.

Reply to
CharlesTheCurmudgeon

Actually, speed in and of itself is meaningless. It's speed differential that's the issue.

Speeding doesn't kill, otherwise everyone on planet earth would be dead.

Besides the speed differential between yourself and the road and other immobile objects, the REAL issue is speed differential among cars on the road. If everyone is going at about the same speed, no big deal. But when someone comes blasting through traffice 30mph faster than everyone else, HE'S the problem.

Likewise, when grandma is going 40mph when everyone else is going 70mph, SHE'S the problem. She thinks she isn't, because she thinks that "speed kills, therefore the slower I go the better". Uh-uh. Doesn't work that way.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

CharlesTheCurmudgeon threw out:

In our area the cops get free coffee and donuts.

Reply to
Erness Wild

Don't you watch those two guys on tv who test myths? That myth was "busted". Cover up your license plate too much and you'll get a ticket for that.

Reply to
Erness Wild

You're right.. Some places have minimum speed limits, out of necessity.

In Houston, I regularly see people going 85-90 mph on Beltway 8. They need to be stopped, fined, and possibly jailed. The maximum permitted speed is

  1. The freeway system there, in general, has a 50 mph minimum speed.

Reply to
HLS

Wrong. At least with RLC's often the yellow interval is shorter than MUTCD recommendations to force people to either jam on their brakes for a yellow and risk being rear-ended, or else get a ticket.

formatting link
I would imagine that speed cameras are set up similarly, I know there was one on New York Avenue leaving DC eastbound that was notorious, I think that the road was posted something like 25 or 35 MPH, it is a four lane divided highway!

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Why? Are they driving unsafely? I doubt it... maybe a few of them are but most of them are probably just getting on with their day.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Oh so you are one of the ass holes that stops at a red and doesnt signal until the light goes green, Maybe in your area of Chgo nobody signals well in advance , but where I am most do. And there are areas here where a certain group pulls out across traffic and just stops till they can turn, them ass holes, in some areas I would like to have a giant junk truck and hit em all.

Reply to
ransley

No it doesnt cover anything, its Clear Gloss. as a matter of fact it was maybe Dateline last night that confirmed its the only legal way to ruin a photo. The gloss reflects light to overexpose just the plate. if you make the plate unreadable by your eye that is different.

Reply to
ransley

The goal should be to increase safety. The measures should be the number and severity of crashes as well as the free flow of traffic.

One thing that I think should be illegal is using cell phones while driving. And I mean cell phones at all, not just hands-free.

Actually, that law does make sense. It makes a lot of sense to know when people are going to turn so that you can take appropriate action not to hit the car, like get in the other lane.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

The goal should be to increase safety. The measures should be the number and severity of crashes as well as the free flow of traffic.

One thing that I think should be illegal is using cell phones while driving. And I mean cell phones at all, not just hands-free.

Actually, that law does make sense. It makes a lot of sense to know when people are going to turn so that you can take appropriate action not to hit the car, like get in the other lane.

Jeff

================

Safety: The surveillance cameras should be put to better use. Any time they record an accident, the video should be posted online for the public to view. Even better, put them on all local TV channels.

Signaling: It also improves the flow of traffic. Any measure which minimizes the use of brakes is a good thing. Prevents the rubber band effect.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.