More than a year after Arizona became the first state in the country to deploy dozens of speed cameras on highways statewide, threats to the groundbreaking program abound.

“I see all the cameras in Arizona completely coming down ” in 2010, said Shawn Dow, chairman of Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar, which is trying to get a measure banning the cameras on the November ballot. “The citizens of Arizona took away the cash cow of Arizona by refusing to pay.”

The Arizona Department of Public Safety introduced the cameras in September 2008 and slowly added more until all 76 were up and running by January.

Supporters say the cameras slow down drivers and reduce accidents, but opponents argue that they are intrusive and are more about making money than safety.

More than 300 communities in 25 states use cameras similar to Arizona’s, including New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. But the backlash seems to be particularly intense in Arizona. Some people have shown their distaste with the cameras by covering them with boxes, sticky notes and Silly String. In locally infamous cases, one man took a pickax to a camera and another purposefully set off the cameras dozens of times while wearing a monkey mask. Read the rest of this entry »

Ticket camera corporations like to put out press releases and pay for biased surveys that show that ticket cameras are well-liked by the general public. The reality is that this is far from the truth. This is borne out by the fact that no ticket camera program has ever survived a public vote.

Thankfully, speed cameras are fairly rare in the United States right now (and will hopefully continue to be) but in Europe — and particularly in the United Kingdom — they are being used extensively.

So, how has the public reacted in these countries? Take a look at this list below, which was compiled from the 2009 archives of TheNewspaper.com. Let’s just say they haven’t exactly received a warm welcome:

UK: Somerset Speed Camera Scorched (12/13/09)
Vigilantes destroy Somerset, UK speed camera with gasoline-soaked tire.

UK, The Netherlands: Speed Cameras Destroyed, Gift-Wrapped (12/6/09)
UK speed camera burns while Dutch cameras are gift wrapped on St. Nicholas Eve.

France, Germany, Italy: Speed Cameras Burned, Blinded, Bombed (11/29/09)
Three cameras in Germany, two in France and one in Italy were destroyed or damaged this week.

Dorset, UK Speed Camera Destroyed by Fire (11/15/09)
Vigilantes in Dorset, England take out a speed camera with a burning tire.

UK: Surrey Speed Camera Burned (10/25/09)
Vigilantes set fire to a speed camera in Surrey, England.

Speed Cameras Attacked in Finland, Poland and Wales (10/11/09)
Explosives destroy speed camera in Northern Finland, Welsh authorities report 102 camera attacks and Polish speed camera burned.

Read the rest of this entry »

A New Year’s resolution to ease off the gas pedal could spare lead-foot drivers hundreds of dollars – and make roads safer.

Starting Friday, Jan. 1, a new state law in Georgia will tack on an additional $200 fee to any local fine received for a speeding conviction. The “Super Speeder Law” is aimed at “high-risk” drivers whose speed are deemed threats to fellow motorists.

Georgia averages one speed-related death a day, according to the official “Super Speeder” Web site.

“That makes speeding a habitual disaster just waiting to happen,” said Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Bob Dallas in a statement. “But it’s one of life’s bad habits that can and should be kicked.”
The added fine will be applied for any driver convicted of speeding at 75 mph or more on any two-lane road or 85 mph and over anywhere in the state.

Sheriff Richard King encourages motorists to drive safely.

“The best thing to do is to keep a watch on the speedometer,” he says. “If you watch your speed, you won’t have to worry about being a super speeder.”

Getting slapped with the new fee might feel like a double-whammy. A driver will get the initial speeding ticket from the local jurisdiction, only to receive a letter of notice for the state fine. Read the rest of this entry »

About 100 new state laws are in effect right now and authorities aren’t letting any of them slip by

“Everybody I’ve run into or talked to has asked me about the new laws so the word is getting around quick,” said Senior Winnebago County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Moore.

About half of the new laws can be found under the Illinois Vehicle Code, that’s nearly 50 new traffic related laws. Among them, trucks are no longer held to a 55mph limit in most 65mph zones, uninsured motorists can be jailed rather than just fined, and Sergeant Doug Bushman tells us about the two we’ve all heard so much about.

“It’s now illegal to operate a motor vehicle and text at the same time, and it’s also illegal to use a cell phone in a school zone, in a construction zone or a maintenance zone.”

If you’re caught texting the consequences are similar to a speeding ticket, but if your cell phone use results in an accident, the charges get much worse.

“If people are injured or killed, and I find a cell phone in the car, then what I’m going to end up doing is getting a search warrant to be able to obtain information off the phone to find out whether or not they were on the phone at the time of the crash and if the are, then that will enhance the charges on it,” said Deputy Moore.

Some critics of the new cell phone laws argue that it’s just another way for the state to make money, but Deputy Moore says otherwise.

“If you think about it, next time you’re on your cell phone when you hang up your cell phone try to remember what you just passed and you probably won’t because people, act the same way a drunk acts, they can’t remember where they’re at or what they just passed.”

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office has a 68 page packet that covers most of the new laws.

You can access the packet, which includes most of the details and fine print, at:

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/police/lawupdate0910.pdf

Source: WIFR.com