Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

[achris]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

I'm dead set against red light cameras! I think it's a money making scheme, with no regard for the moving violation points on your license. I have never run a red light, but it never seems to fail that no matter how I try to pace myself with the flow of traffic, & speed limit, a lot of times I'm going thru the middle of the intersection on yellow, which sometimes turns to red while I'm under it If there's no cop there, you're ok, but with a camera, you can't even beg off.

I don't know how they are set up in the states, but in Oz they only fire if you cross the line when they are red. So if you cross on the yellow you won't get snapped. That said, the timing of the lights here is that if you're traveling at the limit you have ample time to stop when they turn yellow or, if you can't stop then you have enough time to carry on though before they turn red.

I am totally in favour of red light cameras. Too many drivers risking other people's lives to save 30 seconds... Speed cameras on the other hand I absolutely hate! Total money generators and don't decrease the road toll, if anything they increase it. People concentrate more on their speed than driving.

Chris..........

 

[achris]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

I don't know how they are set up in the states, but in Oz they only fire if you cross the line when they are red. So if you cross on the yellow you won't get snapped. That said, the timing of the lights here is that if you're traveling at the limit you have ample time to stop when they turn yellow or, if you can't stop then you have enough time to carry on though before they turn red.

I am totally in favour of red light cameras. Too many drivers risking other people's lives to save 30 seconds... Speed cameras on the other hand I absolutely hate! Total money generators and don't decrease the road toll, if anything they increase it. People concentrate more on their speed than driving.

Chris..........

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

Last night the pass the law to allow them here. there arguement is it frees up more officers for the real law enforcement. we also have police community service officers, (unarmed) that take care of auto accidents, serving summons, and the trivial stuff. they can still arrest you.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

I post on a automotive forum too. This discussion has all been held there also. My favorite post was from a man who got a red light ticket in the mail not because he blew through the red light. But, because he was setting at the red light and he took off to quick before the light turned green. The best part was the ticket had a spot on it where the amount of time he had took off by to soon was posted. The time he beat the light by was very, very small. He says he runs the quarter mile and wished like hell he could get a time coming off the light that good when he wanted one. lol It's things like this that make me believe it's all just a money making game.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

Tashasdaddy, I feel for ya brotha. Expect more accidents now and less attentive drivers, as that poster pointed out, they'll be more attentive to their speedometers than to the road.

CC, malfunctions are rampant with these cameras, as you can see in my previous post. People think I am supporting red light runners and speeders, and I'm not. I'm not for red light running and speeding, I'm against illegal enforcement of the above violations. I'm also against the fact that they cause accidents.

The ends do NOT justify the means.

And for those folks who say that red light cameras prevent accidents....you might want to watch this short clip.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo73...espeedlafayette.com/videos.php?id=Bo73FSOonpc

Or better yet, check out the numerous studies done on the subject:

http://www.safespeedlafayette.com/statistics.php

 

[MikDee]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

I don't know how they are set up in the states, but in Oz they only fire if you cross the line when they are red. So if you cross on the yellow you won't get snapped. That said, the timing of the lights here is that if you're traveling at the limit you have ample time to stop when they turn yellow or, if you can't stop then you have enough time to carry on though before they turn red.

I am totally in favour of red light cameras. Too many drivers risking other people's lives to save 30 seconds... Speed cameras on the other hand I absolutely hate! Total money generators and don't decrease the road toll, if anything they increase it. People concentrate more on their speed than driving.

Chris..........

IMO, I don't think the yellow timing is the same on all lights, and some are just too damn short for this to be practical, and I doubt the powers that be even care, tell me it's not a scam to make money.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

Absolutely it is! And in fact!!!! Get this!!! It is a VIOLATION OF THE REDFLEX CONTRACT for the Lafayette gov't to extend the yellow light timing!! Which has proven in other areas to reduce accidents and violations, of course the latter is what Redflex is bitching about!!

If you notice in the video I posted earlier, the red light camera went off BEFORE the car had crossed the white line, meaning it is a prime example of not only how they dont prevent accidents, but how easily they malfunction and can be set up as a wonderful little revenue generator!

 

[RGrew176]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

And for those folks who say that red light cameras prevent accidents....you might want to watch this short clip.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo73...espeedlafayette.com/videos.php?id=Bo73FSOonpc

What the video shows me is a car running a red light and getting broadsided. What am I missing? How did the red light camera cause this accident as it appears to me the cause of the accident was the vehicle that ran through the red light not the camera.

For the record I support red light cameras.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

That video demonstrates how cameras do not stop accidents. Despite the camera, the guy ran the red light. I thought they were supposed to stop stuff like that?

The accidents the cameras cause are the rear-end collisions from people slamming on their brakes unexpectedly/unnecessarily.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

Lights, cameras, etc. don't cause accidents. Conditions only contribute to cause poor drivers to have accidents. Good drivers handle sudden stops by others, as well as snow, ice, wind, rain, fog, dust, jaywalkers, bicyclists, scooters, etc. without panic or collisions.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

That's just it, not everybody is a good driver. In fact, most people suck at driving. If everybody was a good driver we wouldn't need seatbelts or airbags either.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

That's just it, not everybody is a good driver. In fact, most people suck at driving. If everybody was a good driver we wouldn't need seatbelts or airbags either.

I agree. If poor drivers didn't wear seat-belts and have airbags, and good drivers did wear their seat-belt and have airbags, I wonder how long it would take to unclutter our highways.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

we dont have redlight cameras here but the yellow lights are all of about 2-3 seconds there are times driving a box truck or pulling an 20 ft enclosed trailer that i run yellow lights that turn red AFTER i have enter the intersection where even if i where to have tryed to stop for the yellow i probably would have stopped after entering the intersection and thrown half the **** in the back all over the place. if i where to get a ticket for that i would be steamed. i have even done this with a cop sitting in a cruiser at the light of the cross road without ever being pulled over or issued a ticket. in that situation wich happens to me maby 1ce a week or a little less i feel it to be safer to travel threw the intersection than slamming on the breaks for the yellow light and comming to a stop IN the intersection. i think they should pay out more funds for more traffic cops than red light camera's. one thing i found is real effective is the little speed trailers that they place along certain roadways with a speed display on them where speeding is a problem. i have even seen them with like siren lights that go off if your 5mph over the limit. they dont take your picture but they realy grab your attention if your not paying attention to your speed. they also normaly would have increased patrols on the roads with the signs when they are up.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

I know most of you live in more populated areas. Still, around here whenever I'm at a red light waiting and it turns green I glance left and right before I proceed. I know this will not always work. But, I wonder how many of these accidents could be avoided if the person setting at the red light was paying attention and did not just "floor it" out into the intersection, without looking, as soon as the light turned green. It takes two cars, and drivers, to get into this type of accident.

 

[RGrew176]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

I know most of you live in more populated areas. Still, around here whenever I'm at a red light waiting and it turns green I glance left and right before I proceed. I know this will not always work. But, I wonder how many of these accidents could be avoided if the person setting at the red light was paying attention and did not just "floor it" out into the intersection, without looking, as soon as the light turned green. It takes two cars, and drivers, to get into this type of accident.

I also take a couple of seconds when the light turns green to check both directions prior to entering the intersection. This has saved me from an accident more times than I can count. Anymore, a red light is not a sign to stop it is a sign to gun it through the intersection.

I don't know why red means stop and green means go anymore.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Your views on redlight and speed cameras...

And none of that will prevent poor drivers from plowing you over like a linebacker if you nail the brakes at a yellow light. These cameras don't cause side collisions, they cause rear end collisions.