Comments on: Red-light ticketing cameras, cont’d

By: DAV

DAV — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:43:36 +0000

Not odd at all, banion.

The Florida study is more of a book report, er, meta-study. It summarizes other studies.

Camera intersections were associated with a significant increase in crashes. Increased rear-end crashes were a particular problem …

The Greensboro evaluation was conducted by the
Urban Transit Institute at the North Carolina
Agricultural & Technical State University…

The Virginia Transportation Research Council
(Garber, Miller, Abel, Eslambolchi & Korukonda,
2007) analyzed camera programs in five jurisdictions …

[etc]

By: banlon

banlon — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:00:27 +0000

…very odd that the referenced study by the University of South Florida never explains ‘why’ the use of red-light-cameras would increase crashes.

Weak.

By: Puck

Puck — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:43:18 +0000

STFU Michael.

You’re snap decision of guilt is more dangerous in our society than a snap decision to follow a truck into an intersection (if it turns from green to red within the time it takes a truck to turn, the yellow light is set too short (probably to increase revenue (surprise surprise))).

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:24:20 +0000

I wonder at the cost differential between the fender bender when someone gets tailgated as s/he stops abruptly to avoid a camera ticket and the T-bone when someone not stopping on red connects with a passing vehicle. Having had both a motorcycle and a VW bug totaled thanks to people running lights, I’m not sympathetic to the argument against traffic light cameras.

Among costs to be considered, of course, are not only insurance and auto repair, but medical bills. And if the legally-crossing vehicle happens to be a bike or motorcycle, or perhaps a pedestrian, those medical bills will be rather hefty.

My last moving violation was on an Interstate in 1975, so it’s not as though I don’t think safe driving is unachievable. I do think that there are an awful lot of drivers out there who value their time far too highly, especially when it it comes at the cost of my health and wallet.

By: michael

michael — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:45:57 +0000

@Barsinister:
You couldn’t see whether the light was green or red, so you went anyway?

Guilty.

By: Joe Bingham

Joe Bingham — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:24:03 +0000

“Rather than improving motorist safety, red-light cameras significantly increase crashes and are a ticket to higher auto insurance premiums, researchers at the University of South Florida College of Public Health conclude.”

Puns like that deserve a citation.

By: Barsinister

Barsinister — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:39:38 +0000

I recently rcv’d just such a citation. Since a large truck turning ahead of me blocked my ability to actualy see the left turn arrow , I intend to challenge the ticket in court. Pls note that my last moving violation was in 1994, so it’s not as if I were defending a poor driving record.