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My father called me the other night and opened the conversation with, "I've got some bad news for you. I am looking at a video right now of you running a red light."
You see, my car is still registered in my father's name so when a red light camera caught an infraction, the letter went to his house. I was understandably suspicious of the accusations though. If you've ever ridden in the car with me, you would be too. I don't run red lights. I don't even come close. So he told me the website address and citation code and I watched the video myself. What I saw was my Cavalier on 121 approaching Custer. As I approach the red light intending to turn right, I slow down, pause briefly to see no on coming traffic, and then go about my turn.
I tried to find a way to download the video to post here but I was unsuccessful, so you'll just have to enjoy this still frame. A few things I would like to point out that are interesting here in this frame. First and foremost, my brake lights are on. The light had been red for 26.21 seconds so it's not as if I incorrectly judged how much time I had. And my vehicle speed is clocked at a blazing 16mph. So I think I have all the evidence I need to make a case that I was driving defensively and responsibly. BUT, the law states that you must come to a complete fucking stop before making a right on red, so I don't really have a legal stand because I did not ever completely stop.
In general, I'm in favor of big brother. Mostly because I have nothing to hide. But at $75 a pop, this seems like more of a way for the city to drum up some funds than an effort to serve and protect. If a cop saw me make that turn, there's no way in hell he would have pulled me over. At some point common sense can selectively overrule traffic laws. If you pull up to a malfunctioning red light at 4am in the middle of nowhere and it won't turn green, and you go anyway rather than wait indefinitely, this system would issue you a ticket for that. And that's what I don't like about it. If a car approaches a red light at a crawl applying the brakes the whole way and turns onto a completely empty road, I do not consider that seventy fucking five dollars worth of a crime. That's just my opinion. What do you think about red light cameras?
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