Red Light Cameras

What’s the big deal?  Do you think it is okay to go through a red light?  You probably have concerns about it being about revenue.  I guess we could throw people in jail?  Seriously, no!  You claim they have timed the lights.

I know in Rochester, NY.  It is done right.  Every infraction is review by a police officer before being sent out.  Right turns cannot be cited, and you cannot be cited if you stopped safely even past the line.  Lights are set by the county, not the city who gets the ticket revenue and are timed as they were before cameras were installed.  Sure it makes the city money, maybe people should be more concerned about safety.

My city doesn’t do that though, you claim… So do you always throw out your baby with the bathwater?  We need to quit throwing out things and start working on improving them.  That’s why I support traffic cameras and especially red light cameras.

In the Rochester the cameras are clearly marked.  Pay attention to where you are driving.  In the UK speed cameras are clearly marked and traffic slows down.  Doesn’t really stop you from speeding, just makes sure you are paying attention.  If you got a ticket, you were distracted and shouldn’t have been driving.  In fact studies show that tired or distracted drives could be worse than drunk drivers.

So pay attention and actually drive and you won’t get these automated tickets.  It’s impossible for the police to capture distracted drives, because it is hard to measure.  Unless you are swerving, how would they know you were deep in thought?  Chances are, you’ll ignore the camera warning sign that you have seen 10 times before though.  So pay the ticket, you deserve it, and shut up!