Americans see red over speed cameras

[csv8]

The Australian.August 2 2011.
Americans see red over speed cameras
August 2, 2011 12:00AM
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Redflex (RDF) $1.76WHILE the Republicans and Democrats in Washington dance the budget-cut limbo on the debt ceiling -- with apologies to Lionel Ritchie -- lesser US legislators are eschewing the chance to fill their diminished coffers at the expense of errant motorists.

American motorists view their right to speed and run red lights as akin to the right to bear arms, and for Redflex the US market has become even more unfavourable on a number of fronts. Redflex was last month snubbed by the city of Tempe in its home state of Arizona, which cancelled its 16-unit red-light camera contract. The town deemed the program not to be financially worthwhile, with only 30 per cent of fined motorists actually paying up.

On a grander scale, Los Angeles today removes its red-light cameras, at the expense of Redflex's arch-rival Australian Traffic Solutions. The two also face competition from a new entrant in the Maryland-based Brekford Corp, headed by a former New York traffic-safety tsar.

Brekford notes that speeding and red-light offences result in 180,000 crashes a year, at the cost of 1000 lives and 90,000 injuries a year. Pinging the culprits seems a win-win solution, but, then again, so does banning guns, which kill many times more.

Still, the resistance can't be ascribed to Americans' quirky notion of freedom: last week the NSW government shut down one-quarter of the state's speed cameras after an audit found they delivered "no significant road-safety benefit". Redflex, which derives about 75 per cent of its revenue from the US, said this would not materially affect results.

[BAGT514]

Amazing figures I think. I heard a story that the speed camera's were targeted by gun toting yanks who had no intention of ever paying a "Speed camera" fine

[TheInterceptor]

Im liking America more and more these days.

I too would shoot the cameras. But if i'd do that here, i'd be gaoled forever for it and all firearms will be banned from existance. Or heavily taxed.

Lucky country, the land of the free. My bollocks it is....getting closer to communism than anything. All those men who died fighting to prevent the spread of communism to here, who died fighting to retain our freedom and democracy, will have died for NOTHING.

But thats completly off topic now. /rant

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

Im liking America more and more these days.

I too would shoot the cameras. But if i'd do that here, i'd be gaoled forever for it and all firearms will be banned from existance. Or heavily taxed.

Lucky country, the land of the free. My bollocks it is....getting closer to communism than anything. All those men who died fighting to prevent the spread of communism to here, who died fighting to retain our freedom and democracy, will have died for NOTHING.

But thats completly off topic now. /rant

hahahhaaaa oh lord....

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by BAGT514

Amazing figures I think. I heard a story that the speed camera's were targeted by gun toting yanks who had no intention of ever paying a "Speed camera" fine

Yup, a camera operator in a mobile camera was killed by someone shooting at the vehicle.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

hahahhaaaa oh lord....

Yeah i know. I should have left it at " Im liking american more and more "

Guess the tone can be lost

[ZA-289]

Paying fines might help to reduce their governments rediculous debt.....

[flappist]

Originally Posted by ZA-289

Paying fines might help to reduce their governments rediculous debt.....

They would have saved a heap of money staying out of this side of the Pacific about 70 years ago. Wakarimasu ka?

[jpd80]

American are not afraid to go to court and fight violations because their motor vehicle insuance is linked to driving history,
too many violations and mandatory insurance skyrockets or becomes unobtanium, meaning you cant drive anymore.

[fat289]

Loss of points affects the price of your green slip here !!!

[malazn mafia]

From the country where Camry was once best seller. Just amazing.

[Ben73]

So Americans are against revenue raising. That is one less thing to worry about when I hire a car over there next year.

[kpcart]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

Im liking America more and more these days.

I too would shoot the cameras. But if i'd do that here, i'd be gaoled forever for it and all firearms will be banned from existance. Or heavily taxed.

Lucky country, the land of the free. My bollocks it is....getting closer to communism than anything. All those men who died fighting to prevent the spread of communism to here, who died fighting to retain our freedom and democracy, will have died for NOTHING.

But thats completly off topic now. /rant

i bet there is less speeding fines and more civilised drving in communist countries.
by the way, america is far, far from communism, capitalism is alive and well - you do not know what communism is, i do as i lived in a communist country.

australia is closer to communism with socialist ideas such as free hospitals, medicare and free schooling.
but democracy is alive and well - all your speeding fines are paid for voluntarilly! you have the free choice! dont speed, you pay no fine!

[bmorris]

Good to see American standing up to the government for robbing motorists. People will always die on the roads. Getting from point A to point B as quick as we do these days will always be risky.

This is not an excuse to turn into a nanny state and heavily fine motorists.

[bmorris]

Originally Posted by kpcart

i bet there is less speeding fines and more civilised drving in communist countries.
by the way, america is far, far from communism, capitalism is alive and well - you do not know what communism is, i do as i lived in a communist country.

australia is closer to communism with socialist ideas such as free hospitals, medicare and free schooling.
but democracy is alive and well - all your speeding fines are paid for voluntarilly! you have the free choice! dont speed, you pay no fine!

It's this kind of thinking in this country that has lead Australia into the mess it currently is in.

Turning a complex issue into a simple slogan about speed doesn't save lives.

[fmc351]

I blame Godwin.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by jpd80

American are not afraid to go to court and fight violations because their motor vehicle insuance is linked to driving history,
too many violations and mandatory insurance skyrockets or becomes unobtanium, meaning you cant drive anymore.

Exactly right...in fact in some states your vehicle must be insured (i'm not talking about compulsory third party like we have here) before you can even register it, but if you are too young and can't afford the insurance or have a bad driving record and can't get insurance, you can't keep the car registered either, once again meaning you can't drive...

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by BAGT514

Amazing figures I think. I heard a story that the speed camera's were targeted by gun toting yanks who had no intention of ever paying a "Speed camera" fine

For once the Poms have outdone the Yanks. They don't just shoot them, they also burn them and bomb them ..... http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso.htm

[NAK302]

Originally Posted by flappist

They would have saved a heap of money staying out of this side of the Pacific about 70 years ago. Wakarimasu ka?

sometimes i think we may have been better off if the winners and losers from that era had been different. just a thought.........

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by bmorris

Good to see American standing up to the government for robbing motorists. People will always die on the roads. Getting from point A to point B as quick as we do these days will always be risky.

This is not an excuse to turn into a nanny state and heavily fine motorists.

actually, that makes me think it's the best excuse to fine motorists.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by kpcart

all your speeding fines are paid for voluntarilly! you have the free choice! dont speed, you pay no fine!

Except all the cases where people have been wrongly fined when they were not breaking the law, whether it was due to faulty equipment or unethical practices.
But we wont bring that up because it doesn't help your point.

[krzysiek]

Originally Posted by ZA-289

Paying fines might help to reduce their governments rediculous debt.....

They couldn't pay off their debt if they tried.

[falconnut]

Its only speed camera's for got sake its not the end of the world or the invasion of the tripods!

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

hahahhaaaa oh lord....

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by kpcart

i bet there is less speeding fines and more civilised drving in communist countries.
by the way, america is far, far from communism, capitalism is alive and well - you do not know what communism is, i do as i lived in a communist country.

australia is closer to communism with socialist ideas such as free hospitals, medicare and free schooling.
but democracy is alive and well - all your speeding fines are paid for voluntarilly![/B] you have the free choice! dont speed, you pay no fine!

On the highlighted point i think you may be right. But that is due to so many many other factors.

Why bring up america and communism? I said Australia is getting there.

I dont know what communism is? My parent's surley do. They've told me many things. Like how people couldnt just go out, get a licence, buy a car and drive. Gov wouldnt have a word of that. See the first line of this post.

Remember this from last year? http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/15740264 (a quick google, i did not forget this stupid proposition)

Does that sound familiar? Ban digging a harmless hole in the sand. Ban flying a kite....

Onya cart Mario.

[DJM83]

How hard is it to stay on topic?

This thread will die a slow death, but im giving peace a chance....

[EgoFG]

According to Ovi Maps (free standard Nokia navigation ap) there are speed cams in Beijing ... does not seem to impact taxi driving though.