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Re: Video speed traps a hoax

ok, here's the, ahem, poop about automatic cameras and what they do, and 
why they don't do it...


a) They do work. Typically they aree used in two different settings:

  1) Red lights. These cameras photograph the back plate of the car in 
teh intersection. film is processed, license plate is looked up, and the 
-owner- of the car gets a summons.

   NOTE: This required specific legislation in NY State since you 
couldn't identify the driver. Hence the owner gets the citation. It's a 
fine, but unlike witnessed moving violations, it does not put "points" 
on your driver's licence.

   2) Speeding: similar deal. Radar gun clocks you, camera takes the
picture. Sometimes the photo is from the front, thus showing the driver.
In -most- jusridictions that have them the same rules apply - the car
-owner- gets a fine. 


  NOTE: This was a plot line in a Columbo episode. The bad guy had an 
alibi - namely a photo radar picture of him speeding 100 miles from teh 
scene of the murder.


   Ayway, while the gendarmes and the insurance companies love this 
stuff, it is -very- rare for it to actually get installed. Why?

  Well, it's not because Government has any concerns about civil 
liberties. No sirree.  The reason is very simple:

   If a -cop- pulls you over for speeding, then there's discretion as to 
whether to write a ticket or not. What decision do you suppose happens if 
an off duty police officer is clocked doing 90 in a 50 zone? A 
photo-radar setup means that these folk will also get tickets.

  Or even better (or worse). What do you think the average traffic cop 
does when he catches a State Assemblyman (who, you might recall, votes on 
things like police officer salaries)? I'll give you three guesses...

  So the very fairness of the photo-radar systems is what's keeping them 
from being widely installed.


  Oh, if you want to see something fascinating: On the far side of the 
pond, the UK has installed video cameras with radar -and- pattern 
recogintion. When you pass one of these setups, a sign flashes saying 
"xxy-zzy, you're doing 120 km". That's right, the camera et al deciphers 
your plate.
-- 
_____________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
     dannyb@panix.com (or dburstein@mcimail.com)
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