Replies

Meanwhile, Maryland is gearing up to double the number of roadside spy cameras, and automatically check every license plate that passes them.

That's sad to hear, particularly considering that this Telegraph article would suggest that such a move may cause even more highway deaths.

Regarding the license plate checking, I recall a story about a young Brit who discovered a police van parked in his neighborhood, which also had a 'hidden' speed cam which was placed in a manner suggesting that is was there entirely for revenue enhancement and not with safety in mind at all. He crept up behind the police van, took a high-res photo of the license plate, went home to his computer and was able to produce a near exact copy of the plate. He affixed the printout of his photo to his own car and drove past the speed cam at high-speeds numerous times. ;-)

When the ordinarily law-abiding citizens of Maryland start geting the feeling that the speed cameras are merely another set of grubby fingers going for their wallets, I'm wondering if similar pranks, and worse, will occur? You can only push decent people so far before they'll want to push back.

You can only push decent people so far before they'll want to push back.

I know a liberal who believes that all American citizens should have GPS devices surgically implanted so the government can track their every movement. I bet he would applaud the cameras.

In addition to the highway cameras, red light cameras have become serious moneymakers for some local governments in the U.S. The Washington Times has printed a number of editorials and articles on the subject.

Those WT pieces have revealed two dirty little secrets of red light cameras. The first is that increasing the length of the yellow light by one second decreases the number of red light violations at an intersection by about 80%. Longer yellows mean fewer accidents, shorter yellows mean more accidents but also more revenue if cameras are used. Guess which option some some municipalities choose?

The second dirty little secret of red light cameras is that they increase accidents, because drivers slam on their brakes when the light changes to yellow. The cameras in effect change the meaning of a yellow light from "proceed through the intersection if you cannot easily stop" to "stop immediately or risk a ticket."

The science of red light cameras is settled, but some local governments cannot resist the lure of easy cash.