My understanding is that US municipalities do red light cameras like this:
The city hires a contractor, a for-profit service, to install and operate the cameras. That’s appealing for the city because the contractor deals with the up-front costs. The service gets paid some fraction of each ticket it issues.
Part of the contract gives the contractor control over the lights themselves.
The contractor shortens the yellow lights (and may manipulate other timings besides) to ensure more tickets.
People will tell you that red light cameras make roads less safe because they make drivers panicky. I think most drivers have no idea the cameras are there, I think the situation is simpler: Shorter yellows are dangerous. This is literally “Profit > Your Life.”
Traffic cameras should be a good idea. But if they’re operated as a profit center, they probably won’t be.
And if the company does it again, every shareholder goes to jail for an amount of time proportionate to shares owned. Or something, I dunno, I just feel like if we only hold CEOs accountable, companies will start just using the position as fodder so long as it is still more profitable to break the law and accept the punishments.
It’s worse than that. I’m my area, they found that the company that manages the cameras had timed them to film a little longer than the yellow, so they were capturing a small, but significantly higher number of fraudulent violations.
Then when they added cameras to school zone signs, it was found that they activated outside of the official school zones, also giving them a huge profit windfall.
These companies are predatory and parasitic, and EVERY time they do this stuff, they manage to make a mistake that benefits them, at our expense.
Most drivers I talk to, even the most clueless of drivers, seem to be aware of red light and speed cameras. Some people are aware they go up, but once someone gets a ticket mailed a month later by surprise, the news spreads like wildfire. Plus, many devices can locate them. My non-internet dashcam came loaded with their locations, surprisingly. And yes, I’m reasonably sure it has an internal database, because I bought it a couple years after my region banned cameras and removed the equipment.
It’s a good thing to know they’re out there. The goal shouldn’t be profit for the company installing them, nor should it be tracking your movements, but they need to be for safety.
Zero tickets is a desirable outcome, assuming it means drivers stop at red lights properly and it results in fewer pedestrian and cyclist injuries
Better cut those off polls now and set the standard. You know some dumb ass lib is gonna pay those tickets and eat ramen noodles for a month like some form of self flagellation.
My understanding is that US municipalities do red light cameras like this:
People will tell you that red light cameras make roads less safe because they make drivers panicky. I think most drivers have no idea the cameras are there, I think the situation is simpler: Shorter yellows are dangerous. This is literally “Profit > Your Life.”
Traffic cameras should be a good idea. But if they’re operated as a profit center, they probably won’t be.
2 and 3 require CEO jail time in my humble opinion
This isn’t about making traffic safer, this is about making traffic riskier, risking deaths, to make a CEO slightly richer
Jailtime
And if the company does it again, every shareholder goes to jail for an amount of time proportionate to shares owned. Or something, I dunno, I just feel like if we only hold CEOs accountable, companies will start just using the position as fodder so long as it is still more profitable to break the law and accept the punishments.
Just like car insurance. I agree everyone should have it legally, but then have it controlled by for profit companies is a fucking horrid idea.
I’d apply that to any and all insurance.
It’s worse than that. I’m my area, they found that the company that manages the cameras had timed them to film a little longer than the yellow, so they were capturing a small, but significantly higher number of fraudulent violations.
Then when they added cameras to school zone signs, it was found that they activated outside of the official school zones, also giving them a huge profit windfall.
These companies are predatory and parasitic, and EVERY time they do this stuff, they manage to make a mistake that benefits them, at our expense.
Most drivers I talk to, even the most clueless of drivers, seem to be aware of red light and speed cameras. Some people are aware they go up, but once someone gets a ticket mailed a month later by surprise, the news spreads like wildfire. Plus, many devices can locate them. My non-internet dashcam came loaded with their locations, surprisingly. And yes, I’m reasonably sure it has an internal database, because I bought it a couple years after my region banned cameras and removed the equipment.
It’s a good thing to know they’re out there. The goal shouldn’t be profit for the company installing them, nor should it be tracking your movements, but they need to be for safety.
Zero tickets is a desirable outcome, assuming it means drivers stop at red lights properly and it results in fewer pedestrian and cyclist injuries
The world is so broken
Better cut those off polls now and set the standard. You know some dumb ass lib is gonna pay those tickets and eat ramen noodles for a month like some form of self flagellation.