OT: Speed Cams

[Joshua A. Andler]

On Thu, 2009-04-02 at 09:24 -0700, Josef Lowder wrote:
> Photo radar saves lives.  Period.

So does driving responsibly... and, you know, paying attention.

> According to the Arizona State Department of Public Safety, because of photo
> radar, crashes are down by 12%, injuries have been cut by 17%, and fatality
> collisions are down by 29% on Phoenix-area highways.

I've seen a couple accidents (literally 2) take place first-hand due to
people reacting to the sight of the cameras. Apparently panic induced,
the individuals abruptly slammed on their brakes to avoid a picture. I'm
not saying that the drivers behind those vehicles shouldn't have been at
a safer distance, but the cameras don't only prevent accidents, in some
cases they cause them.

I also take the DPS statistics with a grain of salt, as it does generate
a healthy amount of revenue for the state that they'd like to continue
receiving.

> No clear-thinking person would want to eliminate photo radar simply because
> of their personal desire to want to disregard and disobey highway speed laws.

Okay, this argument could be made for any number of things that the laws
restrict us from partaking in... in the name of protection. The entire
notion that the government does things against the will of the people,
and that people accept it... well, it greatly saddens and disturbs me. I
say that because I've definitely heard more complaints than praise about
the speed cameras.

Cheers,
Josh