Big Brother gets Bigger

[flying junior]

Story in the Sacramento Bee click about red-light videos aimed at drivers who don't come to a complete stop before right-on-red. This is the next step beyond those red-light cameras with the flash that have been around for a few years.

Not one word about two-wheelers, but my mind reels. I never stop completely for a right-on-red when I can see that it is safe to proceed.

Story mentions the wonderful cash-cow opportunities for cities.

Where can I buy that magic spray/cover that renders my plate invisible to these cameras?

https://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1149400.html

 

[JRO]

The magic spray, like the prismatic plastic tag cover, doesn't work. They're scams. People buy deer whistles, too.

What does work, is correctly stopping at the light. However, if you prefer another option, move to the country. I wouldn't live in a community where they put up cameras to 'remotely' ticket drivers. If I get a ticket, I want it to come from a cop, who observed my infraction, and pulled me over. I might not like that, but it's honest, and if I feel it was in error, I can challenge it in traffic court.

You should start a campaign to lynch the silly bastards who thought this up and implimented it. If that doesn't work, move.

 

[airboss]

Red light cameras, Chicago has them and they work, take some clear pictures they do.

 

[Crash Cash]

Yeah, the local rag here (Orlando Sentinel AKA "the slantinel") is REALLLLLLLLY pushing for red-light cameras. You'd think the editor would get a percentage of every ticket from them.

And it's strange, any post in the story forums criticizing the cameras disappears. I'm glad the paper is upholding and defending our free speech rights.

Edit: Oh yeah, and using red-light cameras for tickets appears to be against state statutes. You can issue a warning with them, but not a ticket. The paper HATES it when this is mentioned.

 

[kurt]

Then wait for the words, "civil penalty". In Texas you can't issue a ticket via camera either because an officer has to witness the offense. Instead you get a civil fine that doesn't appear on your driving record.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Actually the plate cover does work, just illegal.

 

[LAGO RUNNER]

Then wait for the words, "civil penalty". In Texas you can't issue a ticket via camera either because an officer has to witness the offense. Instead you get a civil fine that doesn't appear on your driving record.

Heck Ya! Job security!

If I got a Ticket in the mail with a photograph of me running a red light, I would send them a picture of my money

 

[Rob]

Let me tell you I like to just slow down at stop signs and lights but a couple weeks ago I'm out driving. In my truck not the bike, anyway I come to this 4 way and I look both ways and slow down, it was clear. There was no one around for miles, So I thought, and went on through. So then I look up and sure as shit the "Man" is on my butt. So I stop he comes up and we go through the normal hello crap. So he say "you know why I stopped you?" and I say not really. Hoping he was too far to see the stop thing. So he tells me I didn't stop, I say but there was no one around and I slowed down. He asks me to step out of my pick up and I do. Then he starts hitting my with his Night Stick and screaming " Do you want me to Slow down or Stop" I yelled Stop and he did. I have never ran a red light or stop sign since.

 

[Rob]

Then wait for the words, "civil penalty". In Texas you can't issue a ticket via camera either because an officer has to witness the offense. Instead you get a civil fine that doesn't appear on your driving record.

Heck Ya! Job security!

If I got a Ticket in the mail with a photograph of me running a red light, I would send them a picture of my money

What do you do when they send you a picture of Hand Cuffs Back?

 

[HotRodZilla]

As Kurt said, I would bet on the red light violations being a "civil violation." We are doing the same thing in Albuquerque, since like Texas, an officer is supposed to witness a violation. Contrary to some belief, any clear based plate cover will NOT work; even the ones with the distortion strips through them. One of the guys I ride with works in the red light program and says that due to camera angle, there's not much out there beating the system. A very dark cover will work, but is pretty obvious and will most likely lead to a ticket, as will putting your plate behind a tinted window.

The obvious solution to all this ticket stuff is to simply STOP at a red light. Tons of people have gotten red light tickets because tons of people have broken the law and been caught. I have not seen one person yet that got a red light ticket they did not deserve. Since ours also measure speed, some have said they were not actually speeding when caught on camera and a couple have had their tickets dismissed; just like regular court.

If you don't want to pay the citation, then don't. It is your money and you have the right to do what you want. Just don't be surprised that like a late credit card payment, your fine will increase exponentially as time increases. Arrest is probably not on the table since the violation is a civil fine, but your plate will be flagged and when you do finally get stopped for something, the city will have placed a lean on your vehicle and it will be impounded until you pay, or it will be auctioned off.

As much as I was initially pissed about the red light program in Albuquerque, I have greatly changed my tune. I live near a couple of bad intersections and I think my chances of getting killed by red light runners at the camera intersections have been greatly reduced. If I ever get a ticket, I will probably not be happy, but I will probably have deserved it. If not, I will request a hearing and plea my case. So far, I have done one simple thing to avoid a ticket: I have obeyed the law...not according to the way I think it applies to me, but the way it was written to prevent jackasses from killing other people. Like them or not, the fear of being caught causes people to change their habits, and as said before, if you don't like them, there are plenty of cities that don't have them.

 

[old&slow]

Story in the Sacramento Bee click about red-light videos aimed at drivers who don't come to a complete stop before right-on-red. This is the next step beyond those red-light cameras with the flash that have been around for a few years.
Not one word about two-wheelers, but my mind reels. I never stop completely for a right-on-red when I can see that it is safe to proceed.

Story mentions the wonderful cash-cow opportunities for cities.

Where can I buy that magic spray/cover that renders my plate invisible to these cameras?

https://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1149400.html

I'm not sure I like the red-light camera idea,,,, But it really pisses me off,, all the Knot Heads around here that don't want to come to a complete stop at a stop sign or stop lights,,,

especially when I'm coming towards the intersection on my motorcycle.... You don't know if the dip-shits see you ,, are they going to stop ,,, or you're going to be the first one at the scene

of the accident... :angry2:

And that doesn't include the ones that blow right thru stop signs and red lights and don't even slow down... :angry:

 

[old&slow]

Let me tell you I like to just slow down at stop signs and lights but a couple weeks ago I'm out driving. In my truck not the bike, anyway I come to this 4 way and I look both ways and slow down, it was clear. There was no one around for miles, So I thought, and went on through. So then I look up and sure as shit the "Man" is on my butt. So I stop he comes up and we go through the normal hello crap. So he say "you know why I stopped you?" and I say not really. Hoping he was too far to see the stop thing. So he tells me I didn't stop, I say but there was no one around and I slowed down. He asks me to step out of my pick up and I do. Then he starts hitting my with his Night Stick and screaming " Do you want me to Slow down or Stop" I yelled Stop and he did. I have never ran a red light or stop sign since.

Rob I love the story ,,, That's what I would like to do to the non-stop dip-shits sometimes,,,

 

[Sherman]

How long before we see tickets based on the toll road transponders? They have the time between tolls, so they know your speed. Hell they could just charge you in real time.

Mark my words.

 

[Rob]

How long before we see tickets based on the toll road transponders? They have the time between tolls, so they know your speed. Hell they could just charge you in real time.
Mark my words.

I drive truck and some states like CA will write a driver a speeding ticket from looking at his log book and seeing how many miles he drove and how long he says it took him. They can look at the last 7 days logs plus today and write a ticket for any of those days.

Also they compare Fuel receipts to see if you were speeding. The age of having to get pulled over to get a ticket have gone to the wayside. I have gotten my fair share and more of tickets in 20 years so I have learned to slow down, and stop if that is what is asked of me.

My Daddy taught me very few things while I was driving him back and forth to the bar. And one of the most important things was to do what the guy with the big stick and Gun tell you to do. You can always win in court if you weren't in the wrong. And never drink his last beer. I guess I learned 2 valuable lessons on those morning drives.

 

[radman]

Let me tell you I like to just slow down at stop signs and lights but a couple weeks ago I'm out driving. In my truck not the bike, anyway I come to this 4 way and I look both ways and slow down, it was clear. There was no one around for miles, So I thought, and went on through. So then I look up and sure as shit the "Man" is on my butt. So I stop he comes up and we go through the normal hello crap. So he say "you know why I stopped you?" and I say not really. Hoping he was too far to see the stop thing. So he tells me I didn't stop, I say but there was no one around and I slowed down. He asks me to step out of my pick up and I do. Then he starts hitting my with his Night Stick and screaming " Do you want me to Slow down or Stop" I yelled Stop and he did. I have never ran a red light or stop sign since.

And that would be the day I joined Posse Comitatus........

 

[angus]

Then wait for the words, "civil penalty". In Texas you can't issue a ticket via camera either because an officer has to witness the offense. Instead you get a civil fine that doesn't appear on your driving record.

Heck Ya! Job security!

If I got a Ticket in the mail with a photograph of me running a red light, I would send them a picture of my money

They would send you a picture of a pair of hand cuffs

 

[evil_henchman]

Red light camera adjusting tool

 

[apratt]

I have not seen one person yet that got a red light ticket they did not deserve.

The State of California has seen plenty of these: many municipalities installed and enforced red-light cameras abusively, and the state had to step in and ban certain practices. There are now state laws (well, regulations) concerning what cities are and are not allowed to do when it comes to red-light cameras.

One type of revenue-enhancing abuse is making the yellow light unusually short, so people think they'll make the light before it goes red, but they don't. So now there are laws regarding how long the yellow has to be.

Another abuse is having the computer bang you guilty on the first microsecond, as soon as the electrical circuit is made, before the red light bulb has even lit up. So now there are laws regarding how long the light has to have been on the red cycle before it counts as a violation.

The best kind of camera saves a movie of your violation, not just an image or two. This way you can appeal based on circumstances: "I violated the light in order to avoid being hit" and the movie will support that assertion.

Also, there should not be a private-company financial interest in convictions - no per-ticket cut going to the private equipment supplier - because that causes a conflict of interest. (The city also has a conflict of interest, but that ship has already sailed.)

I am in favor of red-light cameras when they are not abused, and when there is a reasonable path for challenging the ticket. The result of a non-abusive camera system should not be enhanced revenue, it should be improved road safety.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I have not seen one person yet that got a red light ticket they did not deserve.

One type of revenue-enhancing abuse is making the yellow light unusually short, so people think they'll make the light before it goes red, but they don't.

Ok Apratt, I'm not attacking you, I'm referring to your misinformation, so don't get too ruffled. That statement about the yellow lights is total bullshit. It is basically a wives tale started by people who are looking for reasons to bitch about the presence of red light cameras. Yellow light duration is based on the speed of the road where the intersection is located. Hence, a yellow light on a road with a limit of 55 will be longer than yellow on a road with a limit of 35. It has to do with reaction time and actual time it takes to stop. Although I have seen tons of these 'shortening the yellow light' claims, I have yet to see any proof of it actually happening. The microsecond claim may have some basis, since people in Albuquerque will receive a citation for passing the crosswalk 1/10 of a second after the light turns red. I donno if that setting is adjustable and could be cut to 1/1000 of a second. However, where these claims come from are the people who get the greatest percentage of camera generated red light tickets: People that are trying to beat the yellow to avoid stopping and having to wait for the light cycle. I think it was on this form a while back where I stated that in my experience, the yellow light could last for a full 2 minutes, and people would still run the red light becasue they will try to beat the yellow. I would bet that anyone who has been to a lighted intersection has seen people running the red right after it turns red and even before the opposing light turns green. Problem is: Red is red. I would rather not get hit by some idiot trying to save himself 45 seconds.