I'm a safe driver. Once I was a faster driver and a bit more aggressive. Now I'm at that cusp between competent traveler and semi-senile dawdler. I don't rush or press and generally am immune to road rage. I will bitch about those who tail-gate, fail to signal turns, balk traffic in the left hand lane, and run red-lights.
That's why I was surprised yesterday when I got an apparent Valentine from the Plano Police Department. I nearly threw it in the trash because it had a discount postage stamp on it, only 38 cents rather than 44. It looked like it might be some sort of solicitation. It wasn't. It was a citation.
I got a ticket. I immediately denied it. I don't go to the Dallas metroplex that often. It couldn't be me. I'd check the details. Date, December 10. Was I in town then? Maybe. License was distinctive; my Silver Star plates which Texas graciously gives me each year for free. Who was impersonating me? Corner of Legacy Drive and N. Dallas Parkway. I could see myself there. The offense? Running a red light!
Naahh. No way. But, wait. There is a clear and distinct color picture of the rear deck of my car with my license plate. It's me! But, I must have stopped. The brake lights are clearly illuminated. I can't be running a red light.
The fine print says that more pictures and a video are available online. Ain't technology wonderful? Let's see what I did.
There's the intersection and the traffic light. Here I come into the frame from the bottom. I'm entering the right turn lane and slowing with my turn-signal on. Good driving, Ed. The light changes to yellow. The nose of my car dips slightly indicating my gesture at a stop. The light goes red, I turn the corner, three seconds later the first cars crossing the intersection follow me.
It was safe. It was prudent. It was slow. No one was endangered or intimidated.
But, the light was red. I didn't come to a complete stop. There was only a totally unemotional technological gadget to witness the crime so no judgment could be applied.
I've got to say it was a cheap shot. But, I've also got to admit that I'm guilty as charged.
5 comments:
But, Ras, remember....That $75 is to improve SAFETY. Has nothing whatsoever to do with raising money for Plano or RedFlex. It's about your SAFETY. Disregard any data about the increased incidents of rear end collisions at Traffic Camera intersections, the camera is there to prevent you T-Boning someone as you right turn on red. It's never about the money, no, it's for SAFETY. Thank God College Station and Lubbock banned them.
I hate traffic cameras. For every blatant red runner there's 50 just like you.
If I'd been there I wouldn't have even given you a second glance. If I had pulled you over you'd have gotten nothing worse than a reminder about stopping before turning.
If accident rates are bad or going up it's up to the local constabulary to identify the location(s), engineering and violation(s). It's also their damn job to then go out and modify the engineering and enforce the vehicle code.
The 3 E's of traffic accident reduction are Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. In that order. Cameras aren't mentioned.
Camera's doing the work for you so the Police don't have to...Don't have to worry about traffic citations / Revenue generation and don't have to be staffed properly or even hired at all...the Camera will save us all... :P
Speaking as a member of the law enforcement community (a damned good traffic cop before losing a foot in the line of duty), I can assure you that cops hate those cameras as much if not more than you do. They're revenue generators, plain and simple. There's no discretion involved, such as might have been exercised in your case--or at three AM with no other cars around--and there's no deterrent effect when you get the violation notice a month or two later.
And aside from that, we get the damned things too, and cops are some of the drivers most prone to rolling a stoplight or exceeding the speed limit by a few miles an hour. (Out local cameras tag speeders starting at 10-over...I would virtually never have stopped someone for that--it's petty and literally everyone (including me) goes 10 over.
So I feel your pain, my brother. Believe me, I do.
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