Florida Uses Bogus Reason To Implement Red Light Cameras
from the if-you-want-safety,-do-something-to-increase-safety dept
paperbag writes in to let us know that Florida has now legalized redlight cameras. Such cameras are now available all over, but it remains frustrating that people continue to justify the cameras with an excuse of "safety." The bill approving this was named after a guy who was killed by a red-light runner, and was pushed for by the guy's wife, with the claim that this makes people safer. Except that's wrong. Study after study after study has shown that such cameras increase accidents. Yes, those are mainly rear-ending accidents, rather than the more dangerous t-bone accidents, but if you really want to increase safety, studies have shown there's a simple way: you increase the length of time for the yellow/amber light. But that doesn't make money.And, indeed, it seems pretty clear that this particular bill is all about the money. That's why the state law also requires that local governments that put in place redlight camera deals have to pay a tithe to the state from whatever they make:
With the new law, the state would get a cut of the local governments' newfound revenue source, leaving the local governments with a smaller share of the fines to pay private camera companies.Nice job Florida. Use the name and memory of a dead man to approve a cynical plan that doesn't make people safer, but which is really designed to boost the coffers of the state government.
The state estimates that its revenues would increase by about $38 million in 2010-11, compared with $12 million for local governments. By 2013-14, the state would take in about $125 million under the law, compared with approximately $78 million for local governments.
That's because the law sends $70 to $100 of each $158 fine to the state, while requiring local governments to pay camera vendors in lump sums, not a per-violation trickle.
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Filed Under: florida, redlight cameras, safety
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There I fixed it.
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Thanks Mike
I don't know the details, but it didn't seem like there was too much debate against the red light cameras. Sadly, I was ignorant to this law and its happenings until it was passed and announced on the local news.
I'm sure there are other people that agree with my stance, but what are the chances of enough people to fight this new law? Fall on deaf ears? I personally can't afford to fight this (both time and money wise), so I guess the next step is to find flaws (like shorter yellow lights) or wait for more accidents to happen.
Then again, this is Florida. We can't even vote right. :) Yes I went there.
Anyway, thank you Mike for taking the time to do a great writeup on the issue.
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Scott's Law
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/04/passing-along-a.html
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doesn't matter
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jay(LENO)walking isn't even illegal in canada
IT in a sense states that if when you cross the street when the cars have right of way and you impede ( not the definition of impede - to block or cause to slow down ) you can be fined.
THIS means at 3am with no traffic and a red light im perfectly able to cross the street.
THE only exception here is diagonal crossings are illegal as the chances of accident are i gather to great. and your going at or causing 4 ways of traffic to have potential incident with you.
BIGGER question for Americans would using a cell phone , ipad or iphone or text messenger while crossing the street also cause you to have problems. SEEMS america needs more work for lawyers i give them the thumbs up to go ahead and do that instead of ACTA work
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Re:
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Re:
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Insurance companys big winners
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Do any of you drive in FL?
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Re: Do any of you drive in FL?
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Re: Do any of you drive in FL?
This issue has been fascinating to watch as it wended its way through the political process.
First, there is a requirement under state law that violations of traffic laws must be observed by a law enforcement officer before one can be ticketed. Second, a ticket was be issued against the actual offender.
Of course this upset local politicos wanting to get exposure by pandering to voters. Hence, a work around was done by several local communities to call it something other than a traffic law violation, so they decided to call it a civil infraction, much like a parking ticket or violating an ordinance such as not mowing your grass. This cracked the door open, cameras were installed in some cities at designated locations, and municipal coffers began taking in a newly found source of income.
Some counties and cities resisted because they paid due heed to state law. Seeing, however, the payoff for those towns treating red light running as a civil infraction, and not a violation of the state's vehicle code, a lobbying effort began to try and convince the legislative holdouts to amend the vehicle code and carve out an exception for such cameras. Believe it or not, this took about two years of lobbying before it began to receive serious consideration in Tallahassee, but then only after the proposed legislation was amended so that the state could also dip its hands in the till. That sealed the "deal" and the vehicle code was amended to create the exception.
With the exception to an otherwise criminal law now ensconsed into the law, counties and cities previously holdouts now seem inclined to take advantage of this new income source.
The bottom line, while the political mantra has been "it is for safety", virtually every local politico has focused and touted almost exclusively about the additional revenue it will generate. "Curiously", not once did I hear or read anyone involved in these efforts, whether by calling it a civil infraction, code violation, etc., ever discuss other equally valid measures such as mentioned in a prior post about revising the timing of lights at intersections.
Without a doubt, what we know have in Florida, while wrapped up in the flag of "safety", is nothing more than yet another means by which government can extract money from the pockets of otherwise generally law abiding citizens.
I expect next up will be an effort to impose fines on slow walking pedestrians who fail to yield the right of way on sidewalks to faster waling pedestrians.
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Disagree
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Re: Disagree
'scuse me...my cynicism is showing....
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Re: Re: Disagree
"15 new multanovas will be introduced this year bringing an additional $3 mill...ah I mean saving an additional 15 lives"
-random local council.
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Re: Disagree
Correlation =/= causation
Plenty of reasons why you might feel safer in one place than the other that have nothing, whatsoever, to do with how safe you are (or feel).
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Re: Disagree
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Timers work well
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No cellphones while driving would be better
Instead of traffic light cameras they should fine people engaging these behavious, they would make a lot more money and there wouldn't be so many dangerous zombie drivers out there, not to mention that the average speed of the city would go up if people were focused on driving, not talking.
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Redlight Cameras Florida
Where I drive in Florida, I seem to be the only person stopping on red (especially when the green left turn arrow turns yellow then red. And the statement that study after study after study proves the cameras cause more than they prevent is a blatant distortion of the truth.
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RLC ARE A SCAM!
THE ONLY DISTORTION I SEE IS FROM THE SCAMERA SIDE (and their employees) Who continue TO POINT BLANK LIE!
Do you all think that the complaints and independent reports (no not reports written by Retting) are going to change that fact that RLC ARE A SAFETY HAZARD!
My don't we live in a insulated world over at Redflex and ATS.
RLC ARE ABOUT MONEY. HECK the vendors REQUIRE A SET NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS PER DAY to make it work!
Your typical RLV Crash is PLUS 5 into red!
Yet we are finding most rlc tickets for:
1. non dangerous right turns on red (the scamera act supposedly prohibits this now, but since vendors HAVE IGNORED THE LAW ON PER TICKET FEES IN OTHERS STATES, Bowie MD comes to mind, only a matter of time before some vendor does).
2. Stopping over the stop line.
3. Split second mistakes that LONGER AMBERS have been proven to stop. IN GA two towns that lenghtened ambers had violations reduced so much THEY DROPPED THE CAMERAS. IN ATLANTA GA, THE CITY BROKE THE LAW and kept ambers intentionally SHORT!
Fight the scam!
www.fcranews.com
www.banthecams.org
www.motorists.org
camerafraud.com
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In Florida...
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It's All About The Money...
PPL too busy to pay attention to anything but their cell phones and themsleves. Add +115F degree weather along with heavy congestion and if you think you've seen road rage... well, let's just say we know anger.
So, after trying to implement photo radar for years and adding red light cameras several years ago, former AZ Governor Janet Napolitano thought she could make a case for adding photo radar to the freeways.
PPL who normally would tolerate the worst offenses to wallets became incensed. I do believe if Napolitano hadn't become head of Homeland Insecurity, she would have been impeached.
The safety maggots loved the cameras and repeatedly pointed to statistics incorrectly indicating reduced fatalities and accidents. They ignored the fact that these were already declining anyway thanks in no small part to the tanking economy.
However, the uproar over the cameras and Redflex (the camera owners) never relented. These truly were money makers for the state and Redflex. Recently, it was discovered that Napolitano was hoping to proliferate the installation to 150 permanent highway cameras (only 78 were actually installed)throughout the state. The gaps were filled by roving Ford Escapes masquerading as AZ Dept of Public Safety vehicles with RedFlex employees operating them. Less than a year after the freeway camera program started, a Redflex employee was shot and killed by an incensed (and obviously unstable) motorist.
As I see it, the fact remains we are a society who values our mobility beyond almost all else including the loss of personal freedom. As such we will tolerate almost any government intrusiveness past the point of taking away our wheels. If that is true the only real way to change ppl's driving habits is to incorporate better driver education and licensing requirements. The truth is, as has been stated here by others, it is far too easy to get a driver's license in this country and so we all pay the price.
I don't believe raising gas prices is the answer, instead stricter requirements in obtaining a license and increasing the severity for non-compliance makes far more sense. The states need to uniformly create a 3-strikes law. If you screw up more than 3 times in one year and get caught you lose your license for 5 and must use mass transit, no exceptions. This will not only remove the idiots from the roads but will help cities better utilize and justify public transportation.
If states want to really prove to people it's not about the money, then implement the above changes and abolish red light cameras completely.
If not, they can always install speed bumps at each intersection and every 1/2 mile along the interstates... ;)
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Watch serious increase in 3 months, here's why
If red light cameras truly increased safety (meaning they reduced the number of red light runners, which in turn reduces the number of intersection collisions) I'd be all for it, but the track record for these things has not been good, and it's been too tempting for cities not to abuse and directly cause people to have accidents.
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Politicians, bureaucrats are immune from these tickets
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Re: Politicians, bureaucrats are immune from these tickets
Turns out a business entity is not a person, ergo no citation can be issued. A lot of ppl were setting up LLCs and re-registering their cars when this became known.
Good article along with some other ways to beat the ticket:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-02-08/news/gotcha/
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Re: Politicians, bureaucrats are immune from these tickets
Turns out a business entity is not a person, ergo no citation can be issued. A lot of ppl were setting up LLCs and re-registering their cars when this became known.
Good article along with some other ways to beat the ticket:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-02-08/news/gotcha/
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Re: Politicians, bureaucrats are immune from these tickets
Turns out a business entity is not a person, ergo no citation can be issued. A lot of ppl were setting up LLCs and re-registering their cars when this became known.
Good article along with some other ways to beat the ticket:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-02-08/news/gotcha/
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red light air-horns
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Been living with the cameras in FL...
Investigative reporting proved that Collier County (not where I live) where there are cameras was setting most of its lights too short to comply with legal guidelines:
http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=12265823
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Ban the red light cameras in Florida
Let us stop red light cameras and have the citizens vote on the manner.
http://banredlightcamerasflorida.com/
Visit the site to find out more
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