Waukegan has had red-light cameras installed for the past few months and city fathers seem so delighted with the revenue stream they are expanding the number of sites. Gurnee is moving ahead for installation at key intersections this spring. It's just a matter of time before most communities in Lake County have these cameras mounted on nearby street corners.
Don't think so? Well, The Hound will take a guess that most of the other communities, not only in Lake County, but the rest of the collar counties, are waiting for the legal challenges to reach a conclusion.
So far, red-light cameras in Illinois are getting judicial approval. Late last month, a challenge to Chicago's policy of using the cameras to snap pictures of cars that run red lights was dismissed by a federal judge. Lawyers for one individual and two businesses called the Chicago law unconstitutional because in the city $90 tickets are issued to car owners whether or not they are behind the wheel at the time of the traffic offense or not.
The judge, though, ruled it was lawful to hold car owners responsible for what's done with their vehicles. That means be careful who you let use your car. Trust The Hound on this one, it includes relatives.
So, as the red-light camera law takes the long and winding road through the courts, remember to "say cheese" and smile. You're on red-light camera, or is it yellow-light camera? Whatever, sounds like a good idea for a cable show. Think The Hound will investigate being the host.
Good Morning Doggie: Thanks for your report on the traffic lite Cams. Isn't this thrilling, big brother has moved a step closer.
Another wonderful move in the land of enchantment.
THE HOUND SAYS: Billy Boy, you ain't seen nothing yet. Big Brother makes money on behalf of safe drivers by pinching speed demons running what I perceive to be orange lights. You are right, this is the land of enchantment, although The Hound believes New Mexico has first dibs.
The United States is well behind the curve ball as far as photo traffic enforcement goes. Red light and speed cameras have been in use, successfully mind you, in many countries around the world for many many years. They have been directly attributed to (generally) lowering traffic speeds, reducing collisions, and ultimately saving lives. That last point alone in my mind is worth it.
On the flip side, some lowered speeds have only occurred in the areas around the cameras, and they have also been targeted by “civil-rights” groups as well as the “News Hound” as money making scams.
Unfortunately our culture has dictated that nothing hits home more than taking a bite out of someone’s pocket. It is not enough that it is against the law to run a red light; not enough that you are endangering your or someone else’s life by running a red light. People still do it day in and day out. Then when someone, aka the city, village or “government” takes the initiative to try and persuade you from doing it, it becomes an invasion of privacy or some other lame issue…
I am not an advocate of tweaking the system to pinch speed demons such as reducing yellow light times or other such measures that have been accused. The systems are designed to photograph a vehicle that enters into the intersection AFTER the signal in that direction has changed red. As such, they supposed to take a series of photos including when the vehicle enters the intersection and triggers the camera. These photos should also show the signal and as such would be undeniable that the signal was red. As designed and if implemented correctly, I am a huge advocate of these systems.
If you are so concerned with this, both Waukegan and Gurnee have listed where the cameras will be installed. I challenge you to go out to those intersections now and time the changes. Maybe you will see first hand people running these lights, and how often it happens. Then go back after the cameras are in and see if there are any changes and report your findings here.
As for accountability, I also agree that the vehicle owner should be held responsible for what happens with his/her car. If it was not the owner driving, as many will try and plea, then it should be the owner’s responsibility to identify who was driving, and the fine will then become their responsibility. This is how it is done in other countries and I do not see anything wrong with that. I am sure if your car was hit by another when it was parked, you got the plate information and when tracked down the owner said, "I'm sorry, I wasn't driving my car that day, too bad!" you would have a different opinion, right?
Perhaps the day that the “News Hound” or one of your readers happens upon an accident where a driver ran the red light, and you see the occupant of the other car severely injured or even worse, dead, will be the day that you see benefit in this system. I have seen that all too often and I can affirm that the responsible driver who was “in a hurry and thought they could make the light” did not think it was worth it after the fact, including a mother who lost her child, and a teenager who killed someone else’s mother/grandmother because they thought they could make it through.
THE HOUND SAYS: Good points, but what's with the "suck lemons" e-mail address? If we're behind the Europeans, why does Germany still have nearly unlimited speed limits on some sections of the Autobahn? Think The Hound will check out one of those Gurnee sites as you suggest.
Hound, you are correct about the German Autobahn. This again indicates that the United States is behind the curve. Rather than rant on in detail I suggest you and your reader’s checkout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn for some very detailed information about the Autobahn.
I have never been to Germany nor driven on a European Autobahn, however, from what I have heard and/or read, there are some significant differences in Europe from the United States that allow this to work.
- In general, drivers respect one another, something I have not seen in Lake County for quite some time!
- The majority if not all of the vehicles produced in Germany are specifically built with speed and/or performance in mind, i.e. Volkswagen and Porsche
- The roadways are maintained to a much higher standard
- Most police traffic enforcement for minor infractions is done by CAMERAS in unmarked police cars. This eliminates the unnecessary and disruptive process of stopping cars on the highway. How many times have you seen traffic back up because a State Trooper has stopped a car on the Tri-State???
Oh, the suck lemons thing is a diversion to the stuff in my daily life that leaves a sour taste!!!
THE HOUND SAYS: Lemon Drop, The Hound has driven on the Autobahn and recalls one day when he was traveling 60 kph in a gun-metal grey used Mercedes, which was nicknamed "The President's Car" and was passed like he was standing still by a convoy led by an E-class Mercedes, followed by a BMW flashing his headlights, followed by a Porsche flashing his headlights, followed by a European Ford flashing his headlights, followed by a Volkwagen GTI flashing his headlights. This in a "nebelzone" where the fog was rolling in. Not much respect there, if you ask The Hound. The Autobahan at first wasn't built for speed. It was built for the Nazi war machine. Also, Italian drivers are the worst.