Protest the Cams
December 3, 2008
If you have listened to my show with any regularity you know I hate speed cameras. First, they are designed as a money grab. Pure and simple. Please don’t let anyone tell you otherwise like safety. The mobile speed camera vehicles and the mounted cameras captured 40,000 speeders in just 2 months netting a total of at least $6.6 million. Need any more evidence.
Speed cameras also deny you your due process rights guaranteed by our Fifth Amendment and you certainly can’t face your camera accuser in court. As the cameras continue to snap away big brother creeps further into our lives.
Have I mentioned how much I don’t like these things? Yes, I was nabbed by one. No, I am not going to pay the fine. I will fight it and if you get one you should to. One group of volunteers has formed camerafraud.com to fight the cameras and they will take the protest to the company that put up the cameras. You can join their organization by visiting their website. Keep the fight up.
Also, below is a podcast of my interview with Susan Kayler, speed camera lawyer. You can get more information on here at photoradarlaw.com.
Here is a model version of what the Ankarlo Mask will look like to help us fight the photo radar tickets. Thanks to TJ Marco for this:
I work for one of the Fire Departments in the valley. If you saw the carnage that we see on a daily basis you would welcome anything that makes people slow down and not run red lights too.
Once Again - there is no evidence that speed cameras reduce “the carnage”, Lou. Not only that, cameras do not STOP speeding or red light running.
They DO increase the number of distractions to the driver.
I do not like these camara either, I have ticketed by one these already. But I cannot understand your position on a traffic law. The same speed limits apply for the real cops if they catch you driving over the speed limits.
Whatever happened to the Law is the Law? What part of illegal don’t you understand? Remember all of that chatter? I grant you that the camara method is at minimum controversial, but the limits are legal.
Are you advocating that we, the citizens of Arizona, pick and choose the laws that we obey and those we do not?
David
Goodyear AZ
What ever happened to “just slow down.”
130 (one hundred thirty!) miles per hour! What idiot needs to go 130 miles per hour?
You don’t like photo radar, you got caught…….poor crybaby. Own up to what you did and pay up, don’t be a crybaby, oops, you are one, I heard you on the radio. You are allowed 11 miles over the limit, why I don’t know, but that is more than enough for anyone.
You don’t like illegal immigrants? They provide a useful service in Arizona and the economy would not work without them. So what if they are “illegal”? They only use your id to find a job, get a drivers license so that they can drive drunk.
You don’t like photo radar? So what! I have been in a 65 mph zone and have had cars pass me, in a crowd, doing 80-90 or more! Some on cell phones. I have been cut off and almost hit by those idiots, and I will admit I go within the allowed overage.
I hope when a person is killed by a speeder (if you succeed and get the photo radar removed) the family sues you, the activists and your station for their death(s).
Grow up, CRYBABY.
P.S. I listened to your excuses against photo radar and they do not measure up to a reasonable reason to get rid of them. When ALL drivers learn that they mean business the roads will be safer.
Terry, Photo radar, Photos taken don’t discriminate or profile! That’s the problem! This is a brown skin, brown eyed “pullover” and then “attest” state now.
The average american gets a ticket and of course doesn’t want to own up to his or hers wrongdoing. No reform in that! Bottom line!
Regarding Ms Kayler, I heard her on your show, I wanted to talk to her but unable to get through on the phone line. Please look into this info regarding the laws of privacy, and citizen’s arrest, because this is what is going on. The privately owned companies Redflex and ATS are citizens placing photo cameras and getting our personal information from MVD.
American Traffic Solutions, Inc. Photo enforcement and red light camera, contracting. www.atsol.com
Tuton’s Pioneered in 1987. The Tuton’s sold out part of their invention to the Redflex! ATS, controls Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Ahwatukee, etc, here in Arizona.
Redflex controls other areas such as Tempe etc..
ATS is owned by Individual men the Tuton’s own photo Radar! Individual men own the Photo Vans! The Photo Vans have Police Department names on the Vans to make the public think they are POLICE VEHICLES. This alone should be illegal!
The money they are making off us is outrageous. I feel it is wrong for the Vehicle of Registration Department to give out my information to this privately owned company! They are not the police! The photo taken of our vehicle is cropped by this individual company and then sent to the Motor vehicle department in which they release our information. This should be illegal! Now your information is sent over to the Police Department in which gives the ok for the citation to be issued. The citation does not come from the police department; the citation comes from this privately owned company. This is Citizens sighting us and reporting the information to the police and getting the police to ok their sighting. This is wrong! As long as this is a private company sighting us and getting our information this is wrong.
Sincerely Concerned,
Catheirne
bzybea@cox.net
Part of me is in favor of the cameras. Let the state fill its coffers with speeder cash and leave me alone.
It seems that what is being said is that camera enforcement devices are unconstitutional. Lets start impeachment or recall proceedings against the Governor and every elected official involved in this violation of our constitutional rights. Ankarlo may be in a position to organize this effort. A class action lawsuit against the state, the Governor, and city officials may also be appropriate and fun to watch.
Now that people are generally driving slower, the threshold for ticketing will be lowered in order to keep the revenue stream flowing. That’s pretty much what happened in Germany where you can get ticketed for going over 3km/hr (Yes, that’s kilometers per hour!) in photo radar zones. Once you get off the Autobahn, the Germans are really persnickety about their speed limit laws.
Don’t be surprised if in the future there will be evidence found of kickbacks in this program. It’s happened in the past elsewhere. It’s just part of how the business of photo radar is conducted.
A close audit of American Traffic Solution’s books, along with the more vocal proponents of this scam, might be in order.
I’m entirely against these monster cams. So many people tap their brakes in photo zones during rush hour, and it creates bottle (rubber) necking down to a snails pace. People show up to work late, distraught, and less productive during a time when we need to keep humming through impaired economic times.
Further, these scams don’t apply to cops. The law is clear that when an emergency vehicle is on urgent call they need to operate their emergency lights, if they have the need for speed. Many don’t operate those lights, but can speed on their way to the donut shop, or girlfriend’s house –ticket free!
Finally, I was on the 51 (call it like it is –SQUAW PEAK) heading south, while a DPS motor officer blew passed me over 80+ mph through the radar trap without pursuit lights. The cameras didn’t (trigger) flash! Does this mean that the officer had a “clicker” to disengage the cameras? And if so, how do I get “clicker” or can we have them made?
Please investigate…
If you don’t like the flash of the camera, Don’t Speed. If you think the speed LIMIT should be higher, take it up with your representive and see if they can help.
I believe photo radar is the best thing that has happened in the last 50 years. As long as drivers think they can establsih their own rules, keep installing the camera’s.
Good to hear that so many Arizona residents expect and want government to regulate personal behaviour behind the wheel. Way to go Arizona. Get a grip or go elsewhere.
According to the figures, 1.6% of the people caught with photo radar on the highways are “criminal” speeders. 20mph over the limit might be appropriate for that, depending on the conditions. The other 98.4% so called “speeders” were most likely adjusting their speed and slammed on their brakes, only to cause distractions to the surrounding drivers previously traveling smoothly.
Sorry, don’t by the “safety” issue, that’s a pant load. Red lights? That’s a different story, collisions there are ugly. Don’t agree with the cameras, but busting through a red light is much more likely to cause injury or death than traveling 11 mph over the speed limit on a free flowing highway.
What are we teaching our kids? It is alright to break the law if I do it but not if someone else does it. I can chose what law I break because I am special. You can use recording instruments to catch other people breaking the law but not me?! What a bunch of self centered entitlement cry babys. This country is in so much trouble no one wants to take resposibility for their own actions. What a shame. If you are worried about privacy, don’t get your pitcure taken. That is pretty easy. don’t break the law slow down. I thought driving was a privelge not a right. To Russ: if you think these cameras create rubber necking and slow downs what do Cruisers do when they are on the side of the road?
What about the red light cameras? I live close to the intersection of 35th Ave. & Dunlap, where there are red light cams. These cameras go off when NOBODY is in or close to the intersection constantly. They go off when eastboud Dunlap traffic is stopped and take pictures of the people turning east out of the southbound lane when they have a green arrow. I’ve seen the camera flash when people drive through WITH A GREEN LIGHT! When you get these tickets two weeks to a month after the incident what if you don’t remember that the light was green?
Can you picture this??? 1/2 dozen dps cars have cars pulled over on the 51 with all those cars slowing down to gawk!!!!! How many crashes would occur even into the dps cruisers.
I do not think this scenario would ever be implemented
I recently received a speeding ticket (on Thanksgiving of all days) going 12 miles
over the posted limit of 65. I don’t know when the cameras were installed, but I’ve
driven by the same area for the past 6 years on my way to work and regularly
don’t speed and have a clean driving record.
I believe it’s a felony to speed 20 miles over the posted speed limit and wonder if
law enforcement could look at a driver’s driving record and consider: (1) amount
of traffic violations in the past couple of years for the driver and (2) the amount of
speed over the limit and not issue the ticket.
I realize speeding is speeding and it’s wrong. I also realize these speed cameras
are money generators for the state and cities in which they are installed.
I don’t like the cameras for the following reasons.
1) it does nothing for safety. can it detect a drunk driver? No. Road rage? um, No.
Tailgating? ha, Nope.
with that said, where is the safety instated with these cameras?
Oh speeding…. Lets see. thousands of vehicles going the same direction, multiple lanes, averaging from 65 (your slow a$$ should be to the right)
to 80 (hopefully given the right of way to courtous drivers).
2) they were installed to make up $ for a state that had financial problems.
3) I don’t remember anyone involved in politics (employed by us, tax payers) permission to install these things.
people wake up! it is not the “don’t speed if you don’t want a ticket”.
it’s the principle of the state making up more ways to take money from our pockets. It is a scam! Wake up and say No! REMOVE THESE CAMERAS.
AND! ask permission before ever doing anything like this again.
Oh. But that would mean that instead of watching football, or some stupid movie, I would have to pay attentiion to all that boring political talk.
Um, YES! WAKE UP! PAY ATTENTION! and START FIGHTING BACK FOR ONCE!
This is a way for private companies to extort copious amounts of money from U.S. citizens without being stopped. They don’t care about stopping speeders, they use huge fines to make business. You don’t have to pay the fines, it is not required by law, and they certainly have no right make you pay for it.
So it reduces speeding and speeders? Thats a total joke. Since the cameras have gone up, accident rates haven’t increased. People will continue to speed, no matter if they even lock cars to a certain speed limit. Also, the cameras are a HUGE distraction. When you see one, you immediatly have to look at your speed, and ajust it if you go to slow or to fast. If multiple people see the camera at once, then you have a problem.
And remind me, when does a privately owned company have the right to sell our information? They even have the technology to scan our phones and get all of our info. They aren’t ‘legally’ allowed to do this, but who’s to say they aren’t secretly? I can’t wait till these cameras are on the ballet in 2 years, because they will disappear.
Six cities have been caught shortening yellow lights to make a profit. Accidents increase 17-40 percent at intersections with these cameras. Cameras under overpasses and at on-ramps to freeways. Does this sound safe or dangerous?
What an absolute distraction these cameras are to drivers. Constant stops for these cameras on the freeways is dangerous. DPS needs to pull their heads out of their butts.