quote:Originally posted by F350:
Link
The pursuit of profits has led to some camera systems being adjusted by the camera suppliers to photograph non-offenders. I remember one of the first such systems was installed in a California city (San Diego I think) by one of our larger electronics companies (seems like it was Lockheed) and was found to have been deliberately set to photograph vehicles which were not in violation of the traffic signal. The ability to tweak these things to up their profitability is too tempting for government flunkies to be trusted with. I don't know if you remember the Alabama speedtraps that were once plentiful but this is just a high tech version of those in my opinion.
Oh, yeah. A link to the "National Motorist Association". There's a stellar group. The "chairman" draws $10,000 salary from the organization for a reported less than 15 hours a week. Where does the salary come from? Gullible people who buy a "membership" in this con game. What do you get for your $35 membership fee? Maybe advice on a phone, if you can catch them at the office. Allegedly they will pay one speeding ticket for you per year, if you meet all their criteria, including having to go all the way through a traffic trial. Miss one little part of their criteria, and they are not going to pay.
Numerous traffic studies have shown that camera systems reduce right angle crashes (T-bone crashes) by as much as 70 percent. Typically, rear end crashes increase a few percent, but nowhere as much as the more deadly right angle crashes are decreased.
How much is one saved life worth, in dollars?