Some years back, I was pulled over for "flashing my lights" at oncoming traffic to warn them about a speed trap that I just passed by. One of the cars I warned happened to be another cop and he spun a 180 and pulled me over immediately.
When he stomped (yes stomped) over to my car, his face was beet red and was so angry he was stammering. He stated that the speed trap was set up to make the roads safer and demanded to know why I would circumvent those efforts by warning others to slow down as they approached it.
I said that I was simply doing my part to help ensure that the motorists slowed down - so as to "improve safety". He wasn't buying it but did have to let me go as he couldn't find anything to ticket me for. But he was so angry at me for getting others to slow down, ruining the opportunity to write them speeding tickets.
These traffic light cameras are even more insidious than cops hiding in bushes with radar guns. I first started noticing them several years ago in places like the Atlanta and Long Island suburbs. Now they are popping up everywhere.
I live on Long Island, where they’ve been putting these things up all over the place.
Been driving for more than 30 years, and I’ve NEVER seen so many rear-end accidents and near accidents in my life.
It is my opinion that the red-light cameras do absolutely nothing to increase safety and are merely a revenue enhancing scheme. If they REALLY wanted to increase safety, there is a much better way to do it: Increase the time between the red light in one direction and the green light in the other. Let’s make it a 3-second delay. I bet that would stop 90% of the accidents at intersections.
BTW, even on traffic-strangled Long Island, I’ve only very rarely seen an actual red-light runner - one who simply blasts through a red light. I HAVE seen many folks who, for one reason or another (slick road, somebody tailgating him, simple miscalculation, etc.) BARELY miss the yellow and squeak through a light which has turned red only a fraction of a second earlier.
Meanwhile, these damned cameras have everybody so jumpy that people are slamming on their brakes even on a green light, trying to guess when the light is going to change. Then, when it doesn’t turn yellow when they thought it would, they speed up. When WHAMMO! the light turns yellow and they slam on their brakes all over again, causing all kinds of havoc to everyone in back of them.
Nope, I don’t see the safety increase. I see $$$$$ for the town is all.
Regards,