Cities and counties aren't just using short yellow lights to rack up millions of dollars in extra red light camera tickets in Florida; some are also using stricter-than-intended enforcement to issue rolling right tickets to drivers. While this summer's tweaks to red light camera (RLC) legislation were promoted as protection against overzealous ticket-writers, the language that affects right turns-on-red doesn't do very much. It says the officers that review RLC violations cannot issue a ticket if the driver came to a complete stop, regardless of where the driver stops in relation to the stop bar. But drivers who stopped a few feet over the stop bar weren't typically getting tickets anyway, because the Mark Wandall Act, which standardized the use of RLC across Florida in 2010, specifies officers should not ticket drivers who make rolling right turns in a "careful and prudent" manner.
Rolling Right Turns in Florida
Cities and counties aren't just using short yellow lights to rack up millions of dollars in extra red light camera tickets in Florida; some are also using stricter-than-intended enforcement to issue rolling right tickets to drivers. While this summer's tweaks to red light camera (RLC) legislation were promoted as protection against overzealous ticket-writers, the language that affects right turns-on-red doesn't do very much. It says the officers that review RLC violations cannot issue a ticket if the driver came to a complete stop, regardless of where the driver stops in relation to the stop bar. But drivers who stopped a few feet over the stop bar weren't typically getting tickets anyway, because the Mark Wandall Act, which standardized the use of RLC across Florida in 2010, specifies officers should not ticket drivers who make rolling right turns in a "careful and prudent" manner.
Cameras Now Used For Crime Prevention & Surveillance
It was recently announced that Washington DC trumped Chicago in the sheer volume of photo enforcement. As reported by Photoenforced.com: "They now have by far the most speed cameras, stop sign cameras and red light cameras per capital." While this is certainly good news when it comes to keeping the roads and motorists of the city safer, there are also much wider implications. Currently, Washington along with some other major US cities, are beginning to shift focus on their approaches to crime where cameras are concerned - real-time monitoring in particular becoming a goal of Washington law enforcement. As a result, it’s likely that we’ll begin to see cameras used in a far more broader role when it comes to crime prevention and criminal enforcement, but there could be other implications.
Cameras and Crime
While we may often assume that road and traffic cameras are essentially in place to capture and deter traffic-related crimes, modern police are becoming much more reliant on cameras as a general tool for combating crime. Washington police, in particular, are increasingly focusing their efforts around captured surveillance footage. In fact, according to rt.com "Law enforcement is looking to get real-time access in order to put the entire city on constant watch." This is of course, a divisive issue. The police department is aware of how valuable resource cameras are, and this is perhaps even more relevant in Washington given the huge amount of cameras that are in place in the city. Having greater access, especially real-time monitoring, could see a huge increase in crime prevention. As stated in the Washington Post, cameras are already a fundamental tool in combating crime for local police forces: "Investigators retrieved video from the Metropolitan Police Department’s 123 closed-circuit television cameras and the District’s network of red light and Department of Transportation cameras 931 times in fiscal 2012 - an increase of 15 percent over the previous year, according to police department data.". While some opponents to an increased level of surveillance argue that real-time monitoring and additional use of cameras is a breach of civil rights, the numbers do clearly show that police are finding cameras increasingly crucial in investigations.
Prevention and Statistics
One of the problems facing both sides of this debate, however, is the actual data on camera effectiveness. While Washington Police, for example, may have increased their use of cameras, what evidence is there that they are an effective tool? As explained by Syracuse.com: "The biggest problem may be the systems are too new: experts say the lasting impact of cameras may not be known until several years worth of data can be analyzed. Generally, the studies that have been conducted have found that premeditated crimes do tend to decline, but crimes of passion are not affected as much." Cameras may certainly help police after the event but are unlikely to be an effective deterrent for a desperate addict. This is one potential problem, but on the other hand, being able to monitor in real-time could allow police to take the action they need. That said, drug enforcement, in particular, is itself seeing a shift in focus, as stated by the Washington Post: "Four decades after the federal government declared war on narcotics, the prevailing tough-on-drugs mentality is giving way to a more nuanced view, one that empathizes treatment and health nearly as much as courtrooms and law enforcement, according to addiction specialists and other experts."
Effectiveness
One of the major questions that remain is just how effective will the increased use of cameras be? While in Washington there has been a huge surge in the number of cameras, there are certainly ways for motorists to be aware of where cameras are and whether they are working already. Conversely, there are also devices that streamline the camera and toll process available at many retailers. Ultimately, the evidence does suggest that cameras, whether traffic-related or otherwise, are having a profound effect on crime and criminal enforcement. How Washington proceeds could be an indicator of things to come for the rest of the US.
Related Articles:
accidents,
Chicago,
Crashes,
Data,
police,
revenue,
speed cameras,
subpoena,
Surveillance,
Traffic,
Traffic Safety,
video,
Washington DC
Topics
A93820014BS
Abu Dhabi
accidents
ACLU
ACS
Advertising
Aha Mobile
AI
Airsage
ALPR
ALPR Cameras
Android
Apple
Arizona
Atlanta
ATS
Attorney
Australia
Auto Insurance
Baltimore
Belgium
Beltronics
Bikes
Bribe
Brooklyn
Buy
Buying
California
Camera Vans
Canada
carplay
Carpool
Cars
CDOT
cell phone
Chicago
City Council
Class Action
Cobra
Colorado
Connected Signals
Connecticut
construction
contracts
Corruption
courtesty notice
courtesy notice
Crashes
crime
Crosswalk
crowdsourcing
Culver City
Dangerous Intersections
Dash Cam
Data
Database
Des Moines
Distracted Drivers
DIY
DOT
download
Drivers License
Driving Instructor
Drowsy
Drunk Drivers
Dubai
DUI
E-ZPass
England
Escort
Europe
Facial Recognition
failure to stop
Fake Cameras
FasTrak
Fighting Tickets
Finance
Fines
Fleets
Florida
FOIA
Ford
France
freedom of information act request
Garmin
Gatso
Georgia
Germany
Glendale
Google
Google Maps
Government
GPS Angel
GPS Navigation
Guest Writer
Hawaii
Here
Highway Robbery
Highways
HOV Cameras
How To
humor
Illinois
Injury
Inrix
Insignia
Instagram
Insurance
Insurenet
iOS
IOT
Iowa
iphone
iRadar
Italy
Iteris
Joe Biden
Laser Craft
Law Suit
Laws
lawyer
Left Turns
legal
Legislation
License Plate
Local
London
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Loud Exhaust
Louisiana
LPR Cameras
Lyft
Machine Learning
Magellan
Maine
Maintenance
Manhattan
maps
Marketing
Maryland
Massachusetts
Microsoft
Minnesota
Missouri
Mitac
Mobile Ads
Mobile Apps
mobile speed zone
MTA
Navigation
Navigon
Navteq
Nestor
Netherlands
New Jersey
New Mexico
New Orleans
New York
New Zealand
News
NHTSA
Nokia
NTSB
Oahu
Oakland
Ohio
Parking
Parking Tickets
Parks
Peasy
Pennsylvania
Phantom Alert
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Photo Notice
photographs
POI
Points
Poland
police
Politics
Poll
Portugal
Privacy
Progressive Web App
Protest
Radar
Railroad
Reckless Driving
red light cameras
RedFlex
RedSpeed
redzone
refunds
Removing
rental car tickets
Repairs
research
revenue
Rhode Island
Ridesharing
Right Turns
rolling right turns
Russia
Sacramento
Safe Speed
Safety
Safety Cameras
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Scam
Schools
Seat Belt
Seattle
secutity
settlement
Shutting Down
signs
Snitch Tickets
solar
Sound Cameras
Spain
speed cameras
Speed Vans
State Ban
stop sign cameras
Street View
Students
subpoena
Subscription
Supreme Court
Surveillance
Switzerland
Taxi
Technology
TeleAtlas
Telematics
Tennessee
Tesla
Texas
Texting
Tickets
Tips
Toll Road
TomTom
Tracking
Traffic
traffic attorney
Traffic Camera
Traffic Lights
Traffic Safety
Traffic School
traffic tickets
Traffic.com
Trapster
Trial by Written Declaration
Trinity
Trucking
trucks
UAE
Uber
UK
Unpaid Ticket
Vehicle Occupancy
Verra Mobility
video
Vigilant
Violation Fines
Violation Info
Violation Speed
Virginia
Vision Zero
Voters
warning devices
warning notice
Washington
Washington DC
Waze
Wikango
Xerox
Yellow Lights
YouTube