Finally: An End to Automatic Traffic Control cameras! (video)
…or at least, a way to fight back against them. And why would you want to do that, you ask? Aren’t these cameras placed there to increase the security of drivers, of the passengers in vehicles on the roads, etc. etc?
Well… yes. However, several studies, both private and public, have concluded that they do not, in fact, reduce risk or number of accidents. In fact, the number of accidents, in many cases, will increase, but the type of accident will shift from side impact accidents, to rear and head-on accidents. Red light cameras will make drivers stop, thus decreasing side impact accidents, but they will also slam on their brakes or swerve to avoid the camera, either hitting someone else from the rear or coming into oncoming traffic, either trying to avoid the camera or the car that just slammed on its brakes right in front of them.
Speed cameras, by the way, cause the same problems. Obviously.
Many, many drivers have won law suits against states and municipalities, in several countries, contending that cameras and hardware are faulty, poorly maintained and simply dangerous. Red light cameras will snap photos on right hand turns (US only), speed camera measurements are constantly questioned and the systems are mostly already outdated. Up until now, though, there hasn’t been a way to fight back, at least not a seemingly legal way (we haven’t dug into that very far yet).
Now, there’s noPhoto.
All ya’ll should check this out. Flash detection, coupled with countermeasure deployment, all built in behind and around your license plates. It doesn’t get much cooler than this.
Of course… you should only use this for “privacy” reasons… since installing such things for the purpose of thwarting traffic control devices isn’t legal. That applies everywhere, at least as far as we’ve looked. So be careful.
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It’s a lot easier and cheaper than that actually. Here are the strategies that worked for me in Arizona.
Ignore the ticket: US law requires proper service of process for traffic tickets. Normally this happens when an officer hands you a ticket. Mailing you a ticket does not qualify as service. In AZ service must be completed within 120 days after the court filing. I got a legitimate ticket in the mail and ignored it. No process server ever showed up and I never heard another word about it (it’s been four years since). I have heard that some people actually do receive proper service from a process server though.
“Unintentionally” obscure your face: In AZ the law requires signage informing you of an upcoming camera. I don’t run red lights, but after that first ticket I started playing with the speed cameras. Just before passing one I speed up to 11+ mph over the limit (to trigger the camera), be sure my sunglasses are on, and “scratch my forehead” with a middle finger as the camera goes off. One time they actually mailed me a ticket with a picture of “some guy” with sunglasses and a middle finger over his face. I ignored it and wasn’t served anyway but if I had been I simply would have exercised my right to remain silent. Without a clear photo of the driver as evidence there’s no case.
The reason I say to “scratch your forehead” is because I believe the AZ state legislature made it illegal for a driver to disguise or obscure their identity for the purpose of evading a traffic camera. This was in response to the guy in Tempe who wore a gorilla mask and sped past cameras every day, accumulating hundreds of so-called “tickets!”
You are not legally obligated to provide any response to the mailed ticket, even though it claims that you “must” respond and if you were not driving you “must” indicate who was. Two outright government lies, but that’s nothing new in the US.
Hi Kris. Thanks for your comment.
You’re right; in so far as getting out of a ticket, your method would serve anyone well, as long as getting out of the ticket is the main goal. And as long as you’re in (most of) the US. Outside the US, however, there are many countries in which that ticket will automatically follow the owner of the car, who will then be presumed the driver, unless he/she proves something else. I.e. car was reported stolen before the violation occurred, someone else signs the piece of paper saying they were the driver… etc.
Now, in most cases, it’s far more useful to be able to stop the ID process before it begins. Interrupting the information flow already at the license plate is a very effective way of doing that, and you never need to worry about some process server showing up, wondering why you were “scratching” yourself… 😉