Accidentally running a yellow light that turned red.
09-10-21, 08:00 AM
#26
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It's amazing how frequently some of these cameras go off. Some of them are writing more than 20,000 tickets a month.
09-10-21, 08:09 AM
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I sometimes find myself watching those "how the hell did I get here?" YouTube videos, and one of those instances was a colorful judge from, IIRC, Maine. He dealt primarily (exclusively?) with traffic violations, and I was mildly surprised to see that, in his jurisdiction, at least, they gave you a red light buffer, something on the order of 0.2 seconds. IOW, they wouldn't ticket you if you entered the intersection (hitting the crosswalk) 0.2 seconds after the light turned red.
There has also been some game playing with the yellow light timing. Shorter yellow lights = more tickets. (3 seconds is the minimum, which my city uses for all lights. Most cities run 3.5 seconds on their shortest yellow lights. Higher speed limits require longer yellows)
Another big money maker is right turns on red. The camera will write a ticket if motorists don't come to a complete stop before turning right.
Last edited by msu2001la; 09-10-21 at 08:12 AM.
09-10-21, 08:19 AM
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Only the most oblivious drivers fail to understand this. There are reasons why, but due to whatever cause some people are unable to combine the concept of smooth traffic flow, anticipation of the movements of others, and the necessity of becoming an organic part of the choreography of traffic. Many of the drivers in this region are transplants from parts of the world where they would not have normally operated vehicles themselves.
09-10-21, 08:27 AM
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It has to do with "don't block the box" enforcement because of near continual congestion on some roads. And by enforcement, I also mean to say that other drivers will let you know if you're obstructing crossing traffic through your own thoughtlessness.
Only the most oblivious drivers fail to understand this. There are reasons why, but due to whatever cause some people are unable to combine the concept of smooth traffic flow, anticipation of the movements of others, and the necessity of becoming an organic part of the choreography of traffic. Many of the drivers in this region are transplants from parts of the world where they would not have normally operated vehicles themselves.
Only the most oblivious drivers fail to understand this. There are reasons why, but due to whatever cause some people are unable to combine the concept of smooth traffic flow, anticipation of the movements of others, and the necessity of becoming an organic part of the choreography of traffic. Many of the drivers in this region are transplants from parts of the world where they would not have normally operated vehicles themselves.
09-10-21, 09:03 AM
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Okay, "if safe to do so" isn't REALLY "don't enter on a yellow light".
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09-10-21, 11:09 AM
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The yellow light duration should calculated, if done in good faith, such that a driver who is not exceeding the speed limit will be able to stop if they are not far enough along to make it fully through the intersection before the light turns red.
A driver exceeding the speed limit may be in a sort of “no man’s land” where there is not sufficient time and space to stop before reaching the intersection but not enough time to get through before it turns red.
This occurs because stopping distances increase faster than linearly with speed, while time through will be linear with speed.
Whether on purpose or by miscalculation, a yellow light can cause tickets if it is too short in relation to the speed limit and size of the intersection.
Otto
Last edited by ofajen; 09-10-21 at 11:12 AM.
09-10-21, 12:27 PM
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09-10-21, 03:28 PM
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Around here, the cameras will automatically send you a $35 ticket if you are speeding 6 mph to 10 mph over the limit. 11 mph or more will cost you $100.
It's amazing how frequently some of these cameras go off. Some of them are writing more than 20,000 tickets a month.
It's amazing how frequently some of these cameras go off. Some of them are writing more than 20,000 tickets a month.
09-10-21, 08:11 PM
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Around here, the cameras will automatically send you a $35 ticket if you are speeding 6 mph to 10 mph over the limit. 11 mph or more will cost you $100.
It's amazing how frequently some of these cameras go off. Some of them are writing more than 20,000 tickets a month.
It's amazing how frequently some of these cameras go off. Some of them are writing more than 20,000 tickets a month.
Our supreme court held that the state or locale has the burden of proof to show that the person being ticketed actually was operating the vehicle at the time. Initial ordinances had required the ticketed owner to prove they weren’t driving, but those ordinances are now banned. A lot of cities just stopped sending tickets after that, though a lot of cameras are still in place.
Otto
09-11-21, 10:25 AM
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That's totally do-able here if in the left turn lane of a busy city intersection. Some main intersections here have two lane left turn lanes each way and three or four cars could easily pull out into the intersection and wait for the light to change, but have to beware of the drivers that accelerate upon yellow and speed on through on the red, meaning the left turners are totally on the red when they finally go. Definitely a dance with the devil.
There are no red light cameras here, I think they tried it once awhile back but quickly got rid of them after a bunch of complaints from drivers in high positions in the local society were getting multiple tickets in the mail and the revelation that the contractor that supplied and installed them got the lions share of revenue with very little going to the Gov. They even were able to tweak the yellow light and camera timing for their own benefit without Gov oversight. So they disappeared after some negative newspaper articles.
My practice of cheating the lights while driving is that if I see the light turn red while going through on the yellow I am in the wrong and deserve what I get. I always try to stop on the yellow if possible, it helps to have anti lock brakes and don't hesitate to engage them on rain slick or icy streets.
There are no red light cameras here, I think they tried it once awhile back but quickly got rid of them after a bunch of complaints from drivers in high positions in the local society were getting multiple tickets in the mail and the revelation that the contractor that supplied and installed them got the lions share of revenue with very little going to the Gov. They even were able to tweak the yellow light and camera timing for their own benefit without Gov oversight. So they disappeared after some negative newspaper articles.
My practice of cheating the lights while driving is that if I see the light turn red while going through on the yellow I am in the wrong and deserve what I get. I always try to stop on the yellow if possible, it helps to have anti lock brakes and don't hesitate to engage them on rain slick or icy streets.
