informeddebate
Is traffic photo
enforcement
a good idea?
from members:
Julia Donovan
Willoughby, OH
Laws are created to
keep all individuals safe.
It doesn’t matter how
you were caught break-
ing a law—it matters
that you committed the infrac-
tion in the first place.
cameRa: dIgI TaL vIsIon/juPI TeR Images
Brandon Gonzalez
Atwater, CA
Police can’t be
everywhere all the
time. This allows for
fewer police.
Carla Parks
Medford, OR
Probably would avoid
a lot of people going
through the red light
and causing an accident
if they are on camera.
TRAFFIC PHOTO eNFORCeMeNT is
common in many jurisdictions. It
includes systems that sense and
photograph vehicles running red
lights as well as systems that catch
vehicles exceeding the speed limit.
Typically, the systems also photograph the license tag and, sometimes, the motorist. Tickets are
then mailed to owners of violating
vehicles, based on a review of
photographic evidence.
Supporters of these systems say
they discourage traffic violations,
reduce the number of accidents and
decrease accident severity. The
systems are efficient for local govern-
ments and allow police to focus on
other enforcement needs, they add.
from members:
Luis Rodriguez
Arlington, TN
I’ve seen too many
errors. Right now
somebody in Florida
with my same name
has a ticket and [the
authorities] keep sending the
bill to my house.
Mariana Lemus
Miami, FL
[Traffic cameras] don’t
stop them from still
running the red lights,
trying to beat the yel-
low lights or [driving
under the influence].
find out more about this topic on the Web:
www.thetruthaboutcars.com. Search “Photo enforcement”
http://goldiron.wordpress.com. Search “Photo enforcement”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_enforcement_camera
James J. Kautz
Wauconda, IL
I have seen people slam
on the brakes needlessly
when the light turns yel-
low, causing more of a
traffic problem than they
would have [just going through].
16 The Costco Connection august 2010
