red light

No one likes red-light cameras. It's not just that they're automated, soulless hall monitors. It's not just that they're operated by semi-sleazy third parties that keep a big chunk of ticket revenue. It's also the fact that they seem like desperate ploys for cash. How much cash? In Chicago...Read More»

Red light cameras, speed cameras, and license plate readers are among the world's most divisive technological innovations. Over the past several decades, they've quietly cropped up on buildings, at intersections, and in parking garages around the globe, slowly altering our definition of "personal...Read More»

Do you live in Florida? Have you received a ticket from a red-light camera lately? There may be a reason for that: according to Tampa's CBS affiliate WTSP, the state recently shortened the legal length for yellow lights. That's caused a surge in red-light citations -- and proved beneficial for...Read More»

Traffic cameras cause a lot of controversy. Some folks appreciate the way that the mere presence of a camera can make motorists drive more cautiously. Others see them as a scam foisted on the public by for-profit companies, working in cahoots with local police departments. But the Insurance...Read More»

Traffic cameras evoke conflicting emotions. On the one hand, none of us want to encourage speeding or red-light running. On the other hand, the idea of getting ticketed by a camera -- often, a camera run by a third-party, for-profit contractor, rather than the police -- seems like cheating...Read More»

Red-light cameras save lives, according to their manufacturers, by penalizing drivers who run traffic signals. If camera manufacturers are to be believed, just the presence of a red-light camera is often enough to slow drivers and make them more attentive. Opponents of red light cameras say their...Read More»

Traffic cameras were once heralded as a way of making streets safer and lightening the loads of thinly stretched police departments, but now, the tide seems to be turning -- even against the once-popular red-light camera. Are voters pushing back on Big Brother? And if so, will they be successful?...Read More»

New York City has a reputation for danger and lawlessness that's utterly undeserved these days, being one of the safer large cities in the country. In fact, it's hard to find illicit substances, misbehavior, and sexual perversity for sale even if you go looking for it--which is hardly the Big Apple...Read More»

You could be forgiven for not knowing that we're in the middle of National Stop on Red Week. Between the stock market yo-yoing, the political finger-pointing, the tragedy in Afghanistan, and other high-profile headlines, Stop on Red has gotten lost in the shuffle, but its message remains important...Read More»

Los Angeles city officials are contemplating whether red-light cameras are going to have any future within city limits, and have already recommended the program be phased out--and that ticketed citizens should forget about the violations. The City Council reached a consensus at the end of its most...Read More»

As readers of the Risk Factor know, blaming the computer for any and all technical glitches is a fairly regular and convenient excuse. One of the more unusual technical problems blamed on a computer was reported about a week plus ago by the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team in Baltimore, Maryland. Apparently...Read More»

Last fall, we wrote about citizen initiatives to ban the use of traffic enforcement cameras in three small towns in Ohio and Texas. Now, the backlash has intensified, with the state of Arizona switching off its 76 cameras altogether last Friday, when its contract expired with the private operator...Read More»

Drivers in urban areas have developed countless ways to cope with red light anxiety -- that frustration that stems from not knowing when that pesky traffic light dangling overhead will turn green. Some folks keep their eyes trained on pedestrian crossing signs, waiting for them to switch from...Read More»

Color us aghast. Can you imagine, a red-light camera program that's not about safety? Why, it turns out that all along we've been deceived. It's about ... yes ... the money. Gosh, imagine that. While angry motorists have turned to everything from the ballot box to detectors with camera databases...Read More»

By now, every driver knows about traffic enforcement cameras. Found in more than 20 states, they photograph drivers committing traffic offenses, whether it's speeding or running a red light. The tickets simply arrive in the mail. Found in more than 20 states, they're attractive to municipalities...Read More»

A new survey from the well-respected research firm Public Opinion Strategies suggests that New York state voters support the use of red-light cameras—at least when it comes to the most dangerous intersections. In the statewide survey conducted for American Traffic Solutions (ATS), one of the...Read More»