I was driving home last night with my 12-year-old son in the car and stopped at a light in El Segundo, California near the Chevron Refinery. Here is a map of where the street racing took place in El Segundo.
A small black car possibly a BMW came flying by us going south on PCH while we were stopped at the light at El Segundo Blvd and Pacific Coast Highway. It came by just as the light turned green at well over 100 miles per hour. I could smell the fumes from the engine after it went by it was going so fast.
My son and I were freaked out by the incident and were thinking what if that car had lost control and hit us while we were stopped. What if someone was coming through the intersection or pulled out of the Chevron gas station on the corner.
No accident occurred and the car flew down PCH and turned into Manhattan Beach we think down the road. However, this experience had me thinking about what cameras might be in the area that could have caught the car flying down PCH. I checked on PhotoEnforced.com and didn't see any cameras on PCH and double verified using Google Street View.
If the city or business did have cameras and I was able to obtain the footage and a view of the license plate could this be used to prosecute a driver driving recklessly? I am very curious if anyone has had a similar experience and what can be done to fix this problem? I see this has become a scary epidemic Worldwide and are police using traffic camera footage to prosecute drivers? Can you report dangerous driving?
I am curious why El Segundo has not put up any traffic or license plate reader cameras (ALPR) here? I think it is something they should consider. I am not saying they need to put up speed cameras or red light cameras. I think they should consider having traffic cameras to monitor cars coming in and out of the area.
Map of Where Street Racing Occurred in El Segundo & Where Cameras Should Be
Street Racing Caught on Camera in Denver
Based on the blogs I am reading. When it comes to highway traffic cameras and red light cameras, your chances of obtaining a copy of the video without the help of an attorney are unfortunately slim. You’re most likely going to be dealing with a number of public and private entities that have specific requirements when it comes to releasing the footage. Some highway traffic cameras are owned by DOT while others are owned by the city.