Red Light Camera

Psyclone Brian

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
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42°00'50"N 93°
Yeah, that one guy who fought his red light got it lifted because he was billed twice for the same offense. He even admitted that he never made a conscious stop even though the Judge ruled that the system was not flawless and dismissed the guy's ticket. (just because he got back to back $80 tickets in the mail (or something close to that)

The law does state that you certainly can turn on red... BUT you must come to a complete stop, or even somewhat conscious stop before completing the turn.
 

simply1

Rec Center HOF
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Jun 10, 2009
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Wow.. are they installed in your house. No they are on a public road. Where do cops patrol??? Public Roads...

Not seeing the invasion of privacy you are screaming for here.
Oh, i was just using your own criteria, so now you want to retract?
 

bellzisu

Well-Known Member
Apr 15, 2006
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Norwalk
Oh, i was just using your own criteria, so now you want to retract?

Maybe I should mention it's used to make sure people follow the laws in a public setting. Like police officers.

I seem them as a replacement for cops to make sure in a public setting your following the law.

Anyway, what laws are you breaking at home that would require cameras to be installed???

POT??? Drugs???
 
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Cybyassociation

Well-Known Member
Mar 5, 2008
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Wow...I opened up this thread expecting "Red Light Camera" to be something completely different...wow.
 

Cybyassociation

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Mar 5, 2008
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I thought it was going to be about someone putting a camera in the red light district and some sort of fascinating discovery that came from the film.
 

Tornado man

Well-Known Member
Sep 16, 2007
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Ames, IA
I thought someone's Canon or Nikon had some malfunctioning indicator light flashing.
Now I'm scared to drive to the store...
 

CyLoboClone

Well-Known Member
Oct 15, 2009
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Albuquerque
you can contest it, saying that it was you, not your husband, but then you would get a ticket in the mail and would be screwed by your own admission.
 

Clonehomer

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Apr 11, 2006
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I would think that speeding tickets would be easier to fight than red light. The sensors in those would need to be calibrated on a regular basis and I doubt they are doing that on the side of the road. Also, if they are using the same sensors as those stupid "your current speed is" signs then my car is off at least 4 mph.
 

Dino

Active Member
Mar 26, 2009
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Des Moines
I just wonder how sensitive the cameras are. If you just blow right through the turn you deserve a ticket but if you come to nearly a full stop but are barely moving then turn cuz there is no one coming, most cops wouldn't ticket you for that. Do the cameras? Or are they set for a certain speed too?

My problem with the intersection cameras are that they cause more accidents than they prevent under the guise of public safety. Its all about the money so just admit that, don't try to pretend its making us safer.

Don't believe me?
Red-Light Cameras Increase Accidents: 5 Studies That Prove It
 

jbhtexas

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
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Arlington, TX
I got a red light cam ticket for making a right turn on red without coming to a complete stop. I was crawling up to the intersection as traffic cleared. After traffic cleared, I proceeded without really coming to a complete stop. I appealed, and the officer let me off. He showed me the law, which says you must come to a complete stop for 3 seconds. However, since I exercised caution before proceeding, he cut me some slack.
 

alarson

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Mar 15, 2006
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Yeah, the 'full 3 seconds' law is a bit bogus. You're likely to get honked at if you sit at an intersection that long.
 

Clonehomer

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
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This is also why I like Ames' new cross walk system. Since they added the countdown clocks on the crosswalks you can see exactly how long that yellow light is going to last and you can drive accordingly. Since yellow lights are different everywhere you go, it is really hard to determine whether you should stop or not. I've had several instances where I came to a stop when there is 1-2 seconds of yellow light before the light turns. In other intersections I would have run the red light if I kept going. The timer is a much more reliable measure.

BTW, in this kind of weather you can always use the reasoning that you don't feel that you could have safely stopped in time.
 

Cyclonepride

Thought Police
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Apr 11, 2006
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A pineapple under the sea
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People will... How much of a warning do you need saying a light is going to turn. In drivers ed didn't they teach you to be cautious during a stale green light???

Indianola has a light outside town in a 45 mph zone. It changes quickly enough that if you are going 45 mph, and it turns yellow, you may easily be in a spot where you're too close to the intersection to stop, but too far to get through before it turns red.
 

BKLYNCyclone

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Sep 16, 2007
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Twin Cities, MN
Yellow lights in Iowa are already incredibly long... I was blown away in Ames last time I was there as the light turned yellow and I immediately began to stop. Anyway, I stopped, waited for the yellow to go red for another second or two and got an earful from the car behind me.

In NYC, the yellow lights last no more than 2 seconds, and I'm not exaggerating at all.

Funny story here though: Apparently the cameras they use are actually high end Nikon professional DSLRs in a custom watertight housing. There was a couple that was driving around the city in a rented cherry picker pretending to service the cameras while actually stealing them. They ended up getting something like 20% of NYC's cameras before they were finally caught. (All to pay for heroin). They were selling them to a camera resale shop for $300 each. ($88,000 of equipment stolen)
 

JY07

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Aug 20, 2009
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The law is the law... Sole criteria.. Not seeing a grey area in there. The law is what it states. It catches people breaking the law. Just like cameras catching people breaking into a building. It catches people breaking the law.

I don't see a problem with them.

That is an incredibly naive statement... As the others have mentioned, have you ever taken off from a stop sign/red light without coming to a complete stop for a full 3 seconds (before the sign: if you can't see the road, after the 3 seconds you are then allowed to pull forward past the sign and stop again if you can't see the other vehicles)? Have you ever crossed a street that was not marked as a cross-walk?

To compare someone who thought it would be safer to proceed through a yellow light rather than slamming on their brakes (and misjudged the light) to a thief/murderer, as some of you have done, is ridiculous.