Posted on 02/08/2002 7:28:59 AM PST by Sir Gawain
Critic-at-Arms: ENFORCED BY RADAR
by Keith R. Wood 02.06.02 © 2002, all rights reserved
On the face of it, there should be no problem -- the honest man will say that anyone who isn't speeding or blasting through red lights has nothing to fear, and the others shouldn't be doing that anyway.
The problem is that the implementation of technology is always subject to the whim of politicians, who see these things as the key to the "click and convict" cash register.
Thus, we have heard of traffic engineers being told to cut yellow-light times to as little as three seconds on busy streets, actually reducing highway safety!
There you are, be-bopping down Main, right at the speed limit, when you see the light change to yellow. You, the experienced driver, then use your judgment and decide that you can't safely stop before you get to the intersection, so you keep going -- SURPRISE! The light went red before you got to the line! If that weren't enough, you see the flash of the traffic camera, and your attention is drawn to the big sign proclaiming that fines are $271 . . .WATCH OUT! You almost didn't see that kid pull out of the gas station right in front of you. Whew!
Now, a block further along, you see the light change, and manage to stop . . .but your car is a couple of feet past the limit line, and the flash tells you that you've rung the cash register again. By this time, you are getting pretty worried and a bit hot under the collar, and a couple of blocks along, you see the light change and you aren't going to get got again, so you slam on the brakes . . .and end up in the
intersection anyway, after the guy behind you slams into your car.
Gee, isn't this great?
Photo radar has brought its own hazards, as drivers on busy streets are distracted by the radarmobiles parked in unexpected places, often partway into traffic lanes (the better to shoot you, my dear). When the word got around that the citations are only valid if there is a clear shot of the driver, people started doing various things to reduce their risk of being identified. Rumor has it that the first picture shot by one Arizona city's radarmobile featured a driver wearing a gorilla mask, but most attempts to hide are not so innocuous, as people frantically put their hands or even briefcases in front of their faces, or duck their heads out of sight of the camera . . .and the road.
. . .and they claim that photo-radar "improves traffic safety." Yeah,
right . . .
One unexpected source of complaints about photo radar has been the law enforcement community itself. It's no secret that cops generally ignore the traffic laws that they enforce (much of the time with valid reason), and there are countless photos of police cars
rushing past photomobiles on urgent runs. Each of these citations must be answered, just as the cite that you or I might get, because there is no exemption under law for emergency vehicles except under emergency conditions, with lights and siren going.
As you might expect, this is an extreme annoyance to the cops, especially that minority who think of themselves as a special class of royalty. Flipping open the badge case only works within the fraternity, not against the impartial glass eye.
Of course, the solution to this problem eludes our Elect Officials, as does any understanding of the Constitution of the United States of America. That solution is to remove Robo-Cop from our streets . . .or to remove from office those who feel that we should all be subject to "click and convict."
Keith R. Wood holds to his own convictions (none of which happen to be of the Robo-Cop variety), and is on the loose in America. He appreciates comments from his readers, sent to the Mailbag.
The bright flash of the strobe would make it impossible for the camera to get a picture of your plate.
Great idea, but they are already for sale.
I imagine they are illegal in Connecticut and other Police States, though.
Cool... That's always the way it happens when I come up with an idea.
Here's another idea. Make a cover for the license plate that had horizonal slats in it like the blinds on windows. This would restrict the viewing angle, and a camera mounted above the road would not be able to see the numbers, while a vehicle dirrectly behind you would.
Oh, and when you go to the polls for the next local election, GO ANGRY!!! The moron who started this in Anchorage was on the way to an illustrious political career- perhaps even the Senate, eventually. He is doing something else now. (Mark Begich- a liberal waste of protoplasm).
You CAN fight this, and you CAN win- it just takes some guts.
I know you are joking- but in case you are serious, check out the Federal penalties for your "homemade silencer". Yep, real prison time.
Not to mention the vandalism charges...
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Why, yes, it would- which is EXACTLY why we have "with-holding" of taxes from paychecks, so that the average working person never sees the money, or realizes that they could choose not to pay it. Do away with this system, make everyone write a check to the IRS every Quarter, and the "progressive" income tax would be dead.
Hmmm... Have you ever heard of a "Straw Man" argument? Or the argument "ad hominem"? Because I think that you have just committed both of these logical errors in one sentence.
I did NOT counsel "blind obedience" to ANYTHING- I merely disagreed with a course of action that seemed likely to not only land the person who follows it in jail, but to erode public support for the cause it ostensibly promotes.
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