- Big Dogs Weblog - https://www.onebigdog.net -

There’s An App For That

Red light and speed cameras are a source of controversy because they snap pictures of what appears to be an illegal act which is used to send a fine for a predetermined amount. There is no real chance to fight the ticket and the accused is not able to confront the accuser.

The people who install these things claim they are there for the safety of the public. Officials claim the cameras keep people from running red lights or speeding. But there are no points associated with the fines and insurance companies are not notified so there is very little deterrent effect. Most folks would rather pay the fine than have it on their license and reported to insurance. The reason that there are no points and no reports is because these are designed for one thing only and that is to raise revenue.

The cameras are placed by jurisdictions in order to raise MONEY. They do not care about public safety, they care about getting money. Cameras that do not bring in enough revenue are removed or relocated. If it was about safety they would not move them for failure to generate enough revenue.

If it was about safety one would assume that people going the speed limit and stopping at red lights would be a good thing no matter why they are doing it. Not so in DC where the police chief is upset because folks with iPhones are using a service that alerts them to the locations of speed traps and traffic cameras. Cathy Lanier calls people using such devices cowards. Why is it that the people who use such devices to stay out of trouble are cowards while the police use devices to detect speeders? If using a device makes one a coward, what does it say about the police?

More importantly, if this is all about safety then why is the chief worried about people being alerted that they need to watch their speed? DC is a small place but has 290 cameras, nearly 10% of all traffic cameras in the US (based on estimates). Having this many cameras means that people will be alerted a lot in DC. This will keep most of them driving the speed limit in order to avoid a ticket. If public safety is the main concern then isn’t this a good thing?

No, the real reason that the cameras exist is to produce revenue. People who avoid the cameras are avoiding contributing their fair share to the cause and the officials do not like that one little bit.

Why would they be upset if it were a public safety issue? Do we really care why people slow down as long as they do?

Radar cameras in DC generated a billion dollars of revenue during fiscal years 2005 to 2008.

It is all about the money.

Maybe we can replace the police chief with an iPhone. Is there an App for that?

Source:
Washington Examiner

Big Dog

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