Ask the Car People.SM


Photo Radar

1879 messages,  Last post on Feb 01, 2013 at 9:27 PM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum.

What is this discussion about? Safe Driving

Messages Page 186 of 188

#1850 of 1879 Re: Mobile traffic speed cameras [imidazol97] by euphonium

Nov 04, 2010 (10:35 am)

Replying to: imidazol97 (Nov 04, 2010 6:30 am)
Red Flex enables increased revenue to hire more cops to serve you more personally as you require.

#1851 of 1879 Re: Mobile traffic speed cameras [euphonium] by imidazol97

Nov 04, 2010 (12:12 pm)

Replying to: euphonium (Nov 04, 2010 10:35 am)
Redflex, Australia, is a gimmick to allow politicians to spend less on real policing to protect the public and spend more elsewhere.

#1852 of 1879 hearsay and not admissible by steve_ HOST

Mar 16, 2011 (7:23 am)

San Bernardino Pays to Dump Red Light Cameras (Straightline)
 

#1853 of 1879 Re: hearsay and not admissible [steve_] by timadams

Mar 16, 2011 (10:25 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Mar 16, 2011 7:23 am)
Wow. I'm pleasantly surprised. This is an absolutely correct ruling. With camera enforcement, there is no person to testify who was driving or how they were supposedly breaking the law. The state bears the burden of proof, which is impossible to meet with these revenue cameras.

#1854 of 1879 PHOTO RADAR IN US & EUROPE by vinnyny

Apr 10, 2011 (7:37 am)

I've been in Germany for the last two months and found that there are lots of photo radar cameras. Contrary to what most people think, driving in Germany is VERY slow (except on the uncontrolled portions of the autobahn). The speed limit on city streets is only 50km (31mph). Between the slow speeds and scores of photo radar, you'd think that driving here would be miserable for speeders like myself. However, that isn't the case for several reasons:
 
1) In Germany, photo radar units are called "safety cameras" and the Germans actually mean it. Unlike in the US, German safety cameras are positioned in places where prudent drivers already slow down. For instance, most of the cameras I have seen here are on the approaches to tight curves or in areas of traffic congestion, the road narrows, or where pedestrians commonly cross. On the other hand, US photo radars are more likely to be positioned on long straightaways and wide roads where people are more likely to speed. It seems that in Germany the intent is to keep you safe while in the US the intent is to keep you poor.
 
2) In Germany, fines for speeding tickets are generally less than $50 with 10-15 Euros being common for speeds less than 20km over the limit. On the other hand, most US tickets start at more than $100. For instance, a photo radar ticket in Tucson carries fines of $226 for going 11mph over the limit.
 
3) Because German safety cameras are designed to slow you down for safety reasons, the positions of almost all cameras are fixed and their locations are readily available to the public. In fact, most GPS systems sold here come with all the safety cameras loaded in their database and will warn you to slow down as you approach one.
 
4) German safety cameras are owned and operated by the government, not a private enterprise seeking to make a profit off of our misfortune.
 
Do I still oppose photo radar? Yes. However, I have less of a problem with it here because I believe that enhancing safety is the goal--as opposed to the profit motive and budget-balancing prevalent in the US.
 
By the way, a letter recently arrived from the Pima County Justice Court in Tucson stating: "We know it's not you in the photo, but please tell us the identity of the driver so that we can ticket them". (paraphrased). Yeah Tucson, don't hold your breath on that...
 
One final thought: they are very serious about red light running here. Run a red light and the ticket will cost you $400 or so. They have red light cameras, but no private companies manipulating the system to maximize profits...

#1855 of 1879 Re: Mobile traffic speed cameras [imidazol97] by berri

Apr 10, 2011 (11:07 am)

Replying to: imidazol97 (Nov 04, 2010 6:30 am)
Shouldn't Dayton be using GM vehicles? I've read several times that studies show a slightly longer yellow does more to reduce accidents than camera's accomplish.

#1856 of 1879 speaking of speed traps by steve_ HOST

May 01, 2011 (9:26 am)

"TomTom became the latest technology company to be embroiled in a privacy row when it emerged that the Dutch satellite navigation company had sold driving data collected from customers to the police.
 
The company was forced to issue an apology to its customers after a Dutch newspaper revealed that data, including records of the speed driven, had been used to help police set speed traps for motorists."
 
TomTom sorry for selling driver data to police (Financial Times)

#1857 of 1879 Re: speaking of speed traps [steve_] by vinnyny

May 07, 2011 (10:08 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (May 01, 2011 9:26 am)
Thanks for the heads-up. I'll never buy a Tom Tom because of it. All this data sharing is getting a little too Orwellian for me...

#1858 of 1879 Re: speaking of speed traps [vinnyny] by berri

May 08, 2011 (5:47 pm)

Replying to: vinnyny (May 07, 2011 10:08 pm)
Thanks for the heads-up. I'll never buy a Tom Tom because of it. All this data sharing is getting a little too Orwellian for me...
 
Totally agree, and so is all this camera stuff.

#1859 of 1879 Legal Question by oldfarmer50

May 13, 2011 (6:53 pm)

If you get a photo radar ticket and the picture doesn't clearly show who is the driver can you beat it by the "it wasn't me" defense? IOW, someone else might have been driving.
 
I have a friend who got one in a work zone in Maryland while on her way to South Carolina. According to her, there was no work going on and no workers were present. It seems as if everyone went home but left the camera on for some revenue enhancement.
 
The ticket is only $40.

Messages Page 186 of 188

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement