Why are they running red lights to begin with?

Question

There is alot of complaining in my town because of the red light cameras that have been put up to catch red light runners. People are complaining that it is a money making plot and unconstitutional. Come on people, why are you worried about it if you obey the law and don't run red lights?

Answer 1

You've nailed it on the head. It's exactly the people who are cmplaining that we need to worry about. They don't want to stop running red lights so they get upset. There is a study that shows most fatal car accidents happen at intersections. I say more power to making money off the reckless drivers putting us and our families at risk. Let them rant and rave, we'll hit them where it hurts the most: their wallets.
ps I don't get the first two responses. Are they kidding?

Answer 2

There are several problems with red light cameras

First is they are designed to collect fines, not to actually stop red light running. Most of the red light "violations" occur within the first 1.5 -seconds of the light turning red. If a red light camera does not "catch" enough violations, they will sometimes shorten the yellow light timing.

Second is it causes drivers to become scared of the lights, and makes them drive in a more unsafe manor. The yellow light is designed to give you time to stop, it you can safely, or time to clear the intersection, before the light turns red, if you cannot stop safely.

When people become afraid of the red light camera fine, they tend to slam on their brakes as soon as they see the light turn yellow, and do a panic stop. This puts the drivers behind them, and themselves at risk of a collision. I have seen many rear end collisions caused by people panic stopping at a camera equipped red light!

There are also times when it is not only legal, but required that you run a red light. If a police officer is directing traffic in an intersection, even if the lights are working, his directions take precedence over the lights. If he motions you through the light, you can go through it, but the camera will still take a picture and you will be issued a violation. The same thing if an emergency vehicle is behind you, you must clear the way for them, and are allowed to enter the intersection on a red light, if safe. You still are at risk of the violation.

Improper violations can be fought, but this requires you to take your time (usually missing work) and spend it in a courtroom. Many people lose more in wages that the fine costs, so they pay the fine for something that they are not guilty of, to reduce the loss they take!

Answer 3

actually the answers so far are wrong , the light cameras are supposedly there to catch a problem occurence such as a fight after a car accident etc. only those cameras equipped with radar can accurately tell speed & they really can only be a small indication of you running a light unless you do so blatantly. the biggest concern true freedom loving americans have is loss of privacy. weird thing tho they haul their cell phones around & could be tracked by those. most all new cars have recorders similar to the black boxes in airplanes so technically speaking the boxes could be downloaded & tickets etc could be issued according to the data there. hard braking acceleration , speed etc are recorded on them. also the gps navagation systems on cars with the emergency calling systems are capable of being listened in to.surreptiously. the cameras are a nuicence & should be gotten rid of because eventually the system will be impersonally mailing out tickets & trying to make robots (sheeple) people who do & follow any instruction given of us all. this is'nt what america should be about . i have heard of people shooting the cameras with guns etc. thats unsafe don't bother doing it. if you don't want license information recorded just use a freznel lense to defract light around the plate. it will when used as a plate protector cause the plate to be unreadable. also another method to disrupt without causeing damage or harm would be to lower your cars visor to where it's covering the top section of the windshield that gives the camera much less of a view of your face & you can see adequately to continue driving in a safe manner. i purposely take back roads & hit old highways to go where i wish not because i have something to hide etc. but because i think cameras are a infringement of personal space & also infringe upon personal privacy of where you go & what you do. i am sure some private investigators or other's have paid someone at traffic control monitoring posts to dub them a copy of the locations someone has been. in my view probably the government should be sued under (rico act ) if damages are caused by the camera system in any way other than recieving a ticket. i consider the cameras stalking & so should every american. due to the capability they have of being misused. i'm betting just about any hacker could get the recordings of those cameras & probably anyone with the money to buy them . am betting certain of them could be suppeonaed as well .

/ //now to the positive aspects /// the positive aspects are if they recorded you somewhere you were & a crime or something happened elsewhere you were blamed for then theoretically you could prove your whereabouts by the cameras. also remember cameras at service stations / banks etc could also be used in such a way. thus the cameras can be helpful as well as bad. as for me i wish some federal judge would declare them illegal in the way they are presently being used. unless the recordings can be suppoenaed for use as needed . just like anything else in this old world anything can be a help or a hindrence . hope this helps tom

Answer 4

The initial complaint from most people is the altering of light timing to catch people running red lights. I hope you have noticed that not all traffic lights signal at the same speed. Some allow a long yellow light to allow a clear intersection before switching to red.
Often, when municipalities install these cameras, they alter the light signal speed by reducing the yellow light duration and virtually guaranteeing that drivers will be caught in the intersection at the beginning of a red light. Some cities have been known to alter the light signal speed multiple times until the intersection becomes a major source of revenue.
The cameras were never intended to become the "speed trap" of the future, they were intended to reduce accidents by deterring people from taking chances.

Answer 5

I did not write this law. No one asked me if it was okay with me. We only have so much time on this planet, so why waste it sitting at a red light. More than half the time it is a complete waste of time, allowing AIR to go by. People in positions of authority get a sick sexual thrill from controlling other people, and this additional level of control gives then even greater sick thrills. I am a human, no greater and no less than any other human, and it is an affront to my dignity and divine rights to be under the control of another human. It is an even greater blow to my dignity and humanity to be controlled by a device that has an IQ of zero, and lacks the ability to differentiate between when controls are needed for public safety, and when they aren't. It is an insult to my intelligence for someone else to determine that I lack the good sense and native intelligence necessary to safely navigate the roads and byways of our nation without being controlled like a loyal plastic robot. Hello, is anyone paying attention? We are humans, but we are increasingly becoming ants.....pawns.....serfs, doing the bidding of the overlords. Draw the line! No red light cameras! It is just another baby step to communism!

Answer 6

Before answering:

I NEVER run red lights or even come close. I figured out how to manage my time more effectively, so I'm NEVER late.

The problem with those cameras is/was, cities allowed the supplier to get a % of the revenue, so they got cute and shortened the yellow time to help themselves.

One city here in So. Calif. had to refund hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after an observant lawyer sued and won.

Answer 7

We've had these in my state & county for several years. I think they're great. Too many people disobey the law if they think it's not being enforced. If you're running a light, what difference does it make if it's a policeman or a camera that sees you do it? Besides, these things bring in a lot of necessary extra revenue, and if you have to earn revenue, who should pay it--the people who break the laws or those who don't?

Answer 8

I agree!

To answer your initial question people typically run red lights for one of two reasons.

1. They aren't paying attention and don't notice it's red (at all) or until it's too late to stop.

2. They're in a hurry and don't see any "reason" for the light to be red and feel they are above the law anyway.

Answer 9

yes, there needs to be real and fake cameras so people will get a constant reminder of doing things write.
It is sad, but we need to maintain society in order.
And in very little time we will have a chip in our body to keep track of our actions.
Sad!

Answer 10

If you obey the law what's the problem