Red Camera fraud. Can we be glad Pasco doesn't have them but Hillsborough County is keeping them. (Tampa: live, lawsuits)

[bentlebee]

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news...ce-102016.html

Pinellas County voted to take the cameras down.

Hillsborough County voted to keep them. Hopefully nobody was doing as the article is saying happened as that is very bad.

From my experience in Europe the safety due to cameras is not really what was the result. Only the public paying more to pay for the shortage the local governments had so it was a nice milk cow for the government.

Over there the cameras not only check on red light but at the same time check on speed as many speed up to make the yellow/orange light.

The amount of accidents due to cameras is also up due some drivers breaking all of a sudden to avoid a ticket. Therefore this type of accidents went up tremendously.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by bentlebee

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news...ce-102016.html

Pinellas County voted to take the cameras down.

Hillsborough County voted to keep them. Hopefully nobody was doing as the article is saying happened as that is very bad.

From my experience in Europe the safety due to cameras is not really what was the result. Only the public paying more to pay for the shortage the local governments had so it was a nice milk cow for the government.

Over there the cameras not only check on red light but at the same time check on speed as many speed up to make the yellow/orange light.

The amount of accidents due to cameras is also up due some drivers breaking all of a sudden to avoid a ticket. Therefore this type of accidents went up tremendously.

Ive seen many more t-bone accidents at intersections than rear end collisions at intersections.

Just because on corrupt business person created a fraudulent situation it does not dismiss the usefulness of red light and/or speed monitoring devices. The laws governing our roadways are there for a purpose, to wit: to identify and fine law breaking drivers who's actions put everyone else, driver and pedestrian in harms way.

Yes, of course the system generates money flow to the jurisdictions they are used it but it is cheaper than posting police officers at intersections dressed as homeless people, utility workers, etc. and does not take those police officers from doing their primary functions.

I feel those who are against red light cameras or any type of law enforcement of the roadways are the first to commit infractions and/or would be the first to launch lawsuits when someone in their family has the body of a family member extracted from a crushed vehicle with the Jaws of Life.

[retiredcop111]

These cameras cause more accidents than they prevent I have seen it first hand in NYC. It has nothing to do with safety. Its all about generating revenue. Still there are less cameras here than LI and NYC. It seemed like they were at every high volume intersection there was. Look at NYC now they have speed cameras. Its a big brother society.

[MAniacTHW]

They were proven to cause more accidents, thus why Pinellas voted to take them down. Bob Buckhorn must be getting a very nice paycheck from them, as he was caught flubbing the numbers. Luckily we can send the revenue from the cameras to Arizona and ensure that Tampa never sees it!

Crashes have increased at red light camera intersections - Story | FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Crashes up 39% at intersections in Tampa with red-light cameras since 2010 | TBO.com

[HWTechGuy]

Originally Posted by retiredcop111

These cameras cause more accidents than they prevent I have seen it first hand in NYC. It has nothing to do with safety. Its all about generating revenue. Still there are less cameras here than LI and NYC. It seemed like they were at every high volume intersection there was. Look at NYC now they have speed cameras. Its a big brother society.

Same here. They put them into Philadelphia about 5-6 years before I moved down here. They caused the most dangerous intersections in the city to see an increase in the number of traffic accidents.

In my area, they have them over in Brooksville but if you go to court the judge will dismiss the case.

[Xia Chen]

Cameras are everywhere anyway. Just look at NYC as only one example. In Times Square alone there must be 200 of them, Cameras now in car, police car and on uniform. Camera even in car to backup..ha !

[LKJ1988]

Pasco still has them.

[jambo101]

So the reverse position is people should be allowed to run red lights or stop signs with no accountability for their actions? Traffic lights by their very nature could potentially turn red so drive prepared for that possibility.

[bentlebee]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Ive seen many more t-bone accidents at intersections than rear end collisions at intersections.

Just because on corrupt business person created a fraudulent situation it does not dismiss the usefulness of red light and/or speed monitoring devices. The laws governing our roadways are there for a purpose, to wit: to identify and fine law breaking drivers who's actions put everyone else, driver and pedestrian in harms way.

Yes, of course the system generates money flow to the jurisdictions they are used it but it is cheaper than posting police officers at intersections dressed as homeless people, utility workers, etc. and does not take those police officers from doing their primary functions.

I feel those who are against red light cameras or any type of law enforcement of the roadways are the first to commit infractions and/or would be the first to launch lawsuits when someone in their family has the body of a family member extracted from a crushed vehicle with the Jaws of Life.

You are so right and you are not seeing them due to most Counties don't have the cameras. Very good observation! but if cameras would be installed than these rear end collisions will triple or even more.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by jambo101

So the reverse position is people should be allowed to run red lights or stop signs with no accountability for their actions? Traffic lights by their very nature could potentially turn red so drive prepared for that possibility.

Just as any driver should be held accountable for their action in any driving situation, there is no process in place to catch someone everywhere they drive. That is, there aren't law enforcement officers on every inch of roadway looking for infractions.

While the concept of red light cameras is understandable, the actual execution has shown in any number of ways that not only do they not decrease the number of accidents, they have become a revenue generating resource that politicians don't want to let go of.

Much like property seizures have become a budget item for many municipalities, red light cameras are increasingly considered a revenue stream rather than a safety issue.

I live near one of the intersections where there is a red light camera, and I can assure you that I have my foot firmly positioned over the brake pedal when I begin to move through the intersection. I'll jam on it at the last second to avoid that $150+ ticket, believe me.

I think it's important to understand that in many municipalities, Hillsborough County being one of them, that the system was initially "gamed" to catch people by having yellow lights that were too short or below the state mandated time to allow the intersections to properly clear. This is just another indicator that safety wasn't the intent of these cameras, rather it was to generate revenue.

RM