NM bans red-light cameras

my town is up to 9 intersections monitored. The penalty is $160 a throw. They claim that it is not about making money, that it is about SAFETY. Ya, right...

I've seen claims that some cities set up the cameras and shorten the yellow light timing to get more tickets sent out. Upshot, according to the story is more abrupt stops and occasional rear end collisions.

My town of Farmington considered it last year, and decided against it.

Well, here - that's in all Germany - you get 4 points* , a fine of 200 Euros [if no-one else was there] and one month 'walking period' (= for one month your driver's license is revoked). [320 Euros otherwise]
If it's less than one second, the fine can just 90 (when no-one was there, or 120 Euros otherwise).


*Every violation to traffic laws, above 40 Euros, is rated in a system of points. These points will be registered with your name. After you reached more than 8 points, you will get a warning (this costs already!). If you keep adding points, it will result in a revocation of your drivers license.
With 18 points, you'll never get a licence again. But the real trouble already starts with 14 points when it costs extra money and some tests ...

There was just a report on the news a few weeks ago about Chicago's red light cameras. It said that they average something like 2.7 seconds of 'yellow' and that by adding 1 additional second of yellow, you'd reduce accidents by 40%...however tickets would be reduced by 65%....so of course the powers that be don't see any need to make any changes.

I'm acting from memory, so my numbers may be off; but the gist of the report is the same. Traffic accidents are reduced significantly, but tickets are reduced more, so nothing will be changed.

So, I can blow from Tucumcari to Albaturkey at 130?

They have only recently installed two red-light cameras in my immediate vicinity. Both were placed at intersections which have been problematic.

The first few days, at one of them, they were mainly catching drivers who failed to come to a full stop before making a right turn on a red light. You can turn right on a red light here, but you have to come to a stop first. Failing to do that is a cause of accidents because these drivers are turning into ongoing traffic.

Anyway, these nabbed drivers began squawking that the tickets were unfair because the cameras were only supposed to catch those who had cruised through red lights while driving straight, and they claimed they shouldn't have to pay the fines. For days there were loud demands to have the cameras removed, and hundreds of disgruntled drivers. I was really impressed with how many tickets they gave out in such a short period, simply for failing to stop before turning right. And I was overjoyed about it.

These days you never see police out and visible around here, so people know they can drive badly without fear of being caught. Red lights, stop signs, speed limits, all seem to be viewed as "optional" for too many drivers. So, if the red- light cameras can help to improve safety, at all, I'm in favor of them. And, if they generate revenue too, that's wonderful. I see it as a win-win situation.

As to the yellow-light problem, there should be some reasonable state-wide standard for the length of the yellow light. Although, no matter how long it is, there will still be drivers who will enter the intersection after the yellow-light has come on, or who will speed up to get through it.

Long ago and far away...

The state of Florida once disincorporated a town for operating a speed trap and failing to cease doing so when requested by the legislature. The guys in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale didn't like their tourists being fleeced en-route...

Good for them! I fought with our village board against having them installed here. The vote went 5-3 in favor of having them -- in the name of safety. Bullshit! You can't tell me that the dollar signs glistening in their eyeballs didn't outweigh any concerns about safety. Well, you can... but I won't believe you.

I actually don't have much of a problem with red-light and/or speeding cameras.

I do have a problem when safety is not the priority. That study in Chicago about what positive impacts adding 1 second of yellow would do to safety and the city of Chicago ignoring it just pisses me off.

I think if you're going to mandate these cameras, it should also be mandated that studies are done on a regular basis by a 3rd party to determine the effectiveness of the cameras on public safety and also what changes could be made to traffic patters to increase safety. The fines from these cameras should be used (in part) to fund these studies.

I also think fines for all types of traffic violations should be increased. People take speeding way too unseriously.
For example, going 20mph over the speed limit should be as serious an offense as drunk driving. Your reaction time (relative to people around you) is worse than someone at a 0.08% BAC.

What was your objection to them, JPB?

What's wrong with it as a means of raising revenue, if drivers are actually disobeying traffic laws? Am I missing something here?

They violate my libertarian aversion to big brother.

A Texas resident who received a camera ticket knew the yellow to be short cycling. He used a stop watch to time it. After he went to court, the issuing town had to throw out about 1700 violations.

JPB


Well, lousy drivers violate my aversion to getting killed. They also wind up causing my insurance premiums to rise. I'm sick of the free-for-all on the roads. If red-light cameras help to catch careless or bad drivers, I'm for them.

I feel the same way LOL. We'd probably never make it in London (where I hear there is one CCTV camera for every 14 people). OK, that's probably an exaggeration, but there's LOTS of cameras there.

There are indeed some places in the UK where you are watched by at least four or five cameras at the same time.

However, the red light and the speed cameras are only noting someone who disregarded a law.
Scanners at airports, for instance, or any other CCTV camera don't such, everyone is observed. (That's why it's quite difficult to install them under the German constitution.)

red light cameras are a sign that too many people live in that place, and it's time to move.

I'm liking New Mexico btter and better all the time.