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1788 messages,  Last post on Nov 14, 2009 at 3:43 PM

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What is this discussion about? Safe Driving

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#1708 of 1788 Re: Stop Signs [xrunner2] by andres3 May 13, 2009 (1:15 pm)
Replying to: xrunner2 (May 13, 2009 6:29 am) As others have pointed out on this board, if you don't run red lights nor go more than 10 over limit, don't have to worry about photo radar.   Except of course, when the human officer or photo radar malfunctions, which apparently is quite often and not unusual.   Also, officer's can make up any excuse they want to pull anyone over. They have over 40,000 excuses written into our CA vehicle code. Why do you think the California VC needs 40,000+ entries? Do you really think that's necessary, or is it something to give a cop an excuse to pull anyone over?   I'd go with the latter explanation.
#1709 of 1788 Re: Stop Signs [andres3] by dbenson62 May 14, 2009 (6:14 pm)
Replying to: andres3 (May 12, 2009 9:36 am) It is sad that people like you do NOT understand the reason for stop signs. It is to prevent accidents and people from excessive speed, safety! I can tell you first hand that people runnig stop signs and lights have killed more people than you might think. I have been involved in numerous accidents as a result of ignorant young drivers that do not respect the laws. To that I am now permanently disabled and can no longer work. Someone's stupidity destroyed my life. I certainly hope you re-think running stop signs. I am NOT a blue hair either! Sadly most of the offenders are only insured with the basic insurance and that left me disabled, numerous surgeries and in permanent pain for the rest of my life. Wake up!! It is not a game, you are not taking just your life into your hands you are taking peds, cars, homes and the list goes on. I hope you a better life than the people left me with, and they all walked away, physically and financially. Maybe if it ruined your life you would think differently. STOP means STOP!!!! Replies to this message: andres3 (May 15, 2009 9:28 am)
#1710 of 1788 Re: Stop Signs [dbenson62] by andres3 May 15, 2009 (9:28 am)
Replying to: dbenson62 (May 14, 2009 6:14 pm) Since I've never hurt nor hit anyone nor caused any at fault accidents in over 15 years of driving (heavily driving I might add), I'll consider your comments irrelevant.   I dont' run stop signs when running that stop sign would potentially cause an accident. I only do so when it is SAFE to do so, and that means no accidents.   Time has proven me right.
#1712 of 1788 Stop signs? by claires HOST May 15, 2009 (9:23 pm)
The discussion about stop signs would fit better in one of these:   Traffic Laws & Enforcement Tactics   Improving our Drivers, Roads, Speed Limits and Enforcement
#1713 of 1788 Mission Creep or Big Brother? by vcheng May 29, 2009 (4:00 am)
There is a thing called "mission creep". Once the safety argument is used to blind people at large about the real intent of cameras, along comes a new development like this:   from: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/27/2791.asp   Texas Senate Endorses Freeway Spy Cameras Legislation mandating federal and state police surveillance cameras on Texas state highways nears passage.   The Texas state Senate voted Monday to give federal, state and local authorities the ability to track and identify every passing vehicle on state highways. The provision calling for "automatic license plate identification cameras" was slipped into the Senate version of the must-pass Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reauthorization bill.   The provision was not part of the bill introduced in the state House of Representatives, whose less sympathetic members will have to accept or reject the entire 1274-page compromise hammered out by a conference committee. The House voted yesterday to instruct its conferees to insist that the House-passed ban on red light cameras remain in the final text.   The Senate's surveillance camera proposal promises taxpayer funds to the same private companies that operate photo radar and red light camera systems threatened by the House bill. License plate readers use the same basic technology as automated ticketing machines. Instead of tracking, for example, only those who exceed a certain speed threshold, the plate readers will store a video image of the front passenger compartment and rear license plate of every single passing vehicle. Optical character recognition software identifies the registered vehicle owner and allows for easy indexing of the time and location of travel for each person identified using the highway.   The Senate-passed bill gives police broad authority for the first time to use this information to prosecute any state or federal crime, as long as it is not a traffic violation "punishable by fine only." The bill also specifies that the cameras may be used to find suspects in amber alert cases, missing senior citizens and those accused of killing a police officer. The capability to search for suspects is exactly what troubles one civil rights group.   "Proponents will argue the readers are looking for bad guys -- drug smugglers and other criminals -- but the cameras cannot distinguish between your SUV and a drug smuggler's SUV," the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement. "The readers are technology and as with any technology, they have a tendency to make errors. In this case, the implications are traffic stops of drivers misidentified as suspects wanted for serious crimes."   In some cases, those errors can turn deadly. On May 19, 2008 a Northumbria, UK police officer received an Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) alert about a passing Renault Megane automobile. Believing the vehicle could be driven by a dangerous criminal, the officer began following the Renault and hit speeds of 94 MPH in a residential neighborhood without using his siren. After cresting a hill, the police Volvo slammed into and killed sixteen-year-old pedestrian Hayley Adamson who did not see the police car coming. It turns out the database was wrong and the driver being chased was completely innocent. (View video of the incident up to the moment of the crash).   British authorities have been using ANPR for several years, working to centralize ANPR data to allow police to keep tabs on criminals and political opponents. A data center in North London offers real-time, nationwide tracking capability. Australian and American red light camera companies hope to offer the same centralized tracking services in the US.   The license plate provision attached to the TxDOT sunset bill passed the full Senate last month without debate as Senate Bill 1426. The language was drafted by state Senator Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands). View the full text of the surveillance camera provision in a 90k PDF file at the source link below.   Source: House Bill 300 excerpt - Senate engrossed (Texas State Legislature, 5/28/2009) Replies to this message: xrunner2 (May 29, 2009 5:28 am) vcheng (May 29, 2009 5:59 am)
#1714 of 1788 Re: Mission Creep or Big Brother? [vcheng] by xrunner2 May 29, 2009 (5:28 am)
Replying to: vcheng (May 29, 2009 4:00 am) The Texas state Senate voted Monday to give federal, state and local authorities the ability to track and identify every passing vehicle on state highways.   That is very scary. But, maybe precedence already set by some cities, such as Chicago, having cameras placed in various parts of the city that have high crime rates. Innocent and law abiding citizens walking through these areas are watched and probably recorded.   Believe that the Chicago cameras send images to a monitoring site where presumably there is some recording and retention of video. Mayor Daley authorized these. Never heard that former Chicagoan Obama, Constitution expert and now President, protested this camera system as violation of Constitutional rights. Must be OK. Replies to this message: vcheng (May 29, 2009 5:59 am)
#1715 of 1788 Re: Mission Creep or Big Brother? [xrunner2] by vcheng May 29, 2009 (5:59 am)
Replying to: xrunner2 (May 29, 2009 5:28 am) I think that this issue is bigger than either party or personality in the White House.   This affects us ALL, and we ALL better have an input into the process or we will ALL regret the consequences for a loooooong time to come.
#1716 of 1788 This all make one think by boaz47 May 29, 2009 (1:50 pm)
Maybe Orwell just had the date wrong?
#1717 of 1788 Corruption of the legal process. by vcheng Jun 02, 2009 (3:39 am)
The lure of easy money is a corrupting influence on the legal process for sure! We cannot assume that our local officials are so saintly that it will not happend here. It already is!   from: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/27/2795.asp   Italy: Police Raid Speed Camera Company in Fraud Scandal Italian police find 81,555 speed camera tickets worth $16 million were fraudulently issued.   Italian police yesterday raided the Brescia headquarters of a speed camera manufacturer accused of fraud involving seventy municipalities throughout the country. Officers from the Guardia di Finanza, the law enforcement arm of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, seized computers, cameras, sensors and fifty speed cameras as evidence.   Salerno prosecutor Amato Barile ordered the raid after discovering evidence that Velomatic 512 photo radar units bearing the same individual serial number were being used by different municipalities located hundreds of miles apart. Under Italian regulations, each camera used for issuing citations must be properly calibrated and approved. By cloning serial numbers, the company avoided testing requirements. Prosecutors also believe that some of these cameras were calibrated in such a way that motorists adhering to the speed limit would receive citations.   As a result of a criminal conspiracy, 81,555 tickets worth 11.3 million euros (US $16 million) fraudulently issued between 2007 and 2009 have been canceled, refunds will be given and license points will be removed. The consumer watchdog group Codacons wants permanent changes in the law, including banning the ability of municipal governments to pad general funds with photo ticket revenue and a minimum five-second yellow warning time at intersections. In January, the makers of the T-Red brand of red light cameras were similarly arrested for fraud after prosecutors found motorists were being trapped at signals with short yellows with improperly certified equipment.   "That yet another seizure has happened on the national territory demonstrates how municipalities are using illicit means and violating the law in order to make cash," a group press release stated.   Yesterday's raid was given the code name "Operation Devius." The investigation is ongoing.

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