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(USGovernment-News.Com, June 08, 2013 ) Munich, Germany -- Gawker recently released dolled out particularly deserved ridicule for Senator Jon Lundberg of Tennessee recently. The senator co-sponsored legislation that would outlaw particular cameras being used for noting speeding violators. What made his backing of the bill particularly interesting was the fact he was caught him doing 60 in a 45mph zone in October 2012.
Lundberg denied that the incident had anything to do with his signing of the legislation, and even contested the violation he received.
Still, the case is one that peaks specific interest, as the state governments across the nation are beginning to show particular disdain for automated enforcement programs. There are now twelve states that forbid the use of enforcement cameras unless specifically limiting circumstances, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. There are nine other states who prohibit red lights cameras altogether. New York has net to enact legislation that would allow cities to use traffic enforcement tools at all.
In Ohio, legislation, which was framed as a defense to due process, has been given more favorable coverage in support of Ohio ACLU and Ohio PIRG. One PIRG official stated the cameras were simply “cash cows designed to rip off drivers.”
The president of the Insurance Institute on Highway Safety, Adrian Lund, had told the Washington Post that debates tend to become a distorted shouting match, noting: “Somehow, the people who get tickets because they have broken the law have been cast as the victims.”
What falls to the wayside in debates is the fact that such automated systems do, in fact, save lives. In 2011, an IIHS study compared cities that did/did not have red light cameras found in 14 large U.S. Cities. The cameras were shown to have a reduced rate of red-light-running collisions by 24%. What was more promising was the general safe driving behavior it created. The mere presence of the cameras helped see 17% fewer crashes at their intersections.
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