Red Light Camera News VIEWPOINTS: Studies say red-light cameras don't save lives, but cause deaths
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/feb/23/studiessay-red-light-camerasdont-savelives-151/
(Greg Mauz's 5 big lies reprinted in TX Paper).
VIEWPOINTS: Studies say red-light cameras don't save lives, but cause deaths
Research shows such setups result in increases in crashes and fatalities
Greg Mauz
San Angelo Standard Times
Posted February 23, 2011 at 10:06 p.m., updated February 23, 2011 at 10:09 p.m.
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Five groups promoting red-light ticket cameras testified last summer at the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Despite usurping $8 billion annually in 500 locations, the camera profiteers are not satisfied. They wanted taxpayer grant money for more cameras to rob more Americans during the worst recession in American history.
The pro-camera testimony was a complete pack of lies.
LIE NO. 1. There is a national, urgent need for camera enforcement. "Red light running is the No. 1 cause of urban crashes — 22 percent," says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
TRUTH. There never was a need, just greed. Red light violations cause a mere 1.5 percent of all accidents and just 2 percent of fatalities (762 of 37,261 in 2008, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics).
LIE NO. 2. "Acceptance of cameras has always been strong," says the IIHS.
TRUTH. Ticket cameras are internationally abhorred. Cameras are being disabled, smashed, burned and destroyed all over the world.
A biased, pro-camera MSNBC.com survey of 40,596 people in 2008 still recorded 62 percent opposed to red-light ticket cameras. And cameras have never survived a voter referendum (16 cities). College Station, Baytown and Houston all voted to ban red-light cameras.
LIE NO. 3. "Photo enforcement is constitutional." The Partnership for Advancing Road Safety (representing camera companies) and most promoters claim this nonsense. IIHS says our rights are irrelevant.
TRUTH. Five state attorneys generaland numerous court decisions agree that photo enforcement violates our constitutional right to due process, face accusers, be presumed innocent and receive a fair trial (Fifth, Sixth and 14th Amendments). The 14th Amendment guarantees federal protection against states violating our due process rights. All states that use red-light cameras violate these rights.
LIE NO. 4. There is an epidemic of dangerous red-light runners, speeders and scofflaws. Cameras target only deliberate, dangerous drivers.
TRUTH. There is an admitted epidemic of traffic engineering malpractice (not dangerous drivers) pervading our country. Camera programs require illegally/unethically short yellows and dangerous under-posted speed limits to entrap enough marks for all cohorts to prosper (camera companies, city/county/state governments, politicians, police, engineers, IIHS, NHTSA, phony researchers, trauma centers etc.). Cameras extort $8 billion annually.
By 1994, minimum yellow times were lowered, making the interval too short for 47 percent of drivers. Between illegal yellows, unethical "proper" yellows, invisible violations (less than one second into red) and ticketing legal right turns on red, who can escape this entrapment? Nobody. In addition, more than 30 percent of tickets are mailed to innocent vehicle owners who are still coerced to pay.
Only 5 percent of Americans crash annually, according to a 2007 NHTSA report, but cameras target everyone. Most camera cities issue many more tickets than they have drivers (Washington, D.C.; Cary, N.C.; Houston; Duncanville). Everyone is a dangerous, reckless criminal?
Honest yellows are Kryptonite to dishonest cameras. One added second of yellow to any signal reduces violations 40-80 percent and, unlike cameras, actually reduces crashes 25-50 percent. Honest yellows killed red-light cameras in 12 Georgia cities, Dallas and Mesa, Ariz.
LIE NO. 5. "Cameras save lives."
TRUTH. Ticket cameras cause fatalities. There remain more than 40 studies (including 12 camera-promoter ones) proving red-light ticket cameras and speed ticket cameras cause serious increases of crashes (all kinds), injuries and about 500 deaths, and counting, nationwide.
Charted results of 10 random cities found that rear-end collisions average more than 100 percent increases, right-angled collisions rose 41 percent and all crashes increased on average 55 percent with about a 79 percent rise of injuries. All total, red-light ticket cameras caused approximately 1,500 additional crashes, 500 injuries and 11 deaths.
Camera enforcement is the worst fraud ever perpetrated on the American people. No fewer than 10 state courts have correctly declared, "Cameras are illegal!"
Congress, FBI, the U.S. Attorney General and all Texas leaders, do your job. You work for us, not corrupt corporations and local governments. Honor God and country. Enforce our laws. Save lives by banning all ticket cameras.
Greg Mauz of Christoval is a traffic safety researcher and volunteer activist with the Best Highway Safety Practices Institute. For more information, see www.bhspi.org/mauz or banthecams.org or call 325-896-2595
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