AAA sees abuse in camera ticketing


By Matthew Cella
THE WASHINGTON TIMES




The District and other jurisdictions are abusing automated traffic enforcement systems to generate money, a prominent traffic safety advocate said in a speech prepared for delivery today.
In his speech, prepared for the Governors' Highway Safety Association's national convention today in New Orleans, Lon Anderson, director of public and government relations for AAA Mid-Atlantic, called for a "motorist's bill of rights" against abuses of automated-enforcement systems.
"It's clear that money, and not law enforcement, is in the driver's seat," Mr. Anderson says in the speech, in which he refers to the revenue-generating aspect of the system as a "shakedown."
"That kind of thing we find onerous. We believe law enforcement should be for law enforcement. Police shouldn't be out there to make money."
The Washington Times received an advance copy of the speech.
Mr. Anderson, whose group supports automated enforcement when it is "initiated, motivated and run for safety purposes," withdrew support for the District's automated enforcement program in October after Mayor Anthony A. Williams conceded that generating revenue was a factor in the city's use of the cameras.
According to Metropolitan Police statistics, the District collected $21,974,285 in fines from red-light camera citations from August 1999 through June 2003. The red-light cameras issued 377,743 citations, of which 253,911 have been paid.
In addition, the city collected $30,331,113 in fines from photo-radar cameras from August 2001 through June 2003. The speeding cameras issued 587,434 citations, of which 408,191 have been paid.
Police say red-light running has decreased by 59.4 percent, with 22,500 fewer citations being issued each month among the city's 39 intersections equipped with the cameras.
Mr. Anderson says the bulk of the citations are issued to motorists who run red lights by only fractions of a second, and the cameras don't do enough to stop egregious red-light runners.
"The truth appears to be that we are not interested in just nabbing the egregious violators — it's the blink-of-an-eye violator, it's the unintentionals, that bring in the big bucks," Mr. Anderson says in his speech. "I think we ought to be out to catch the bona fide red-light runners who are threatening our lives."
Mr. Anderson calls for a restoration of what he calls the "firewall" between law enforcement and revenue generation.
"Our concern is that automated enforcement systems seem to be tearing down that firewall," he says, adding that his motorist's bill of rights would be the blueprint for a lobbying campaign urging legislatures to reform automated traffic enforcement.
He calls for the timing of red-light cameras to be set fairly and consistently, citing a red-light camera on H Street NE adjacent to the Union Station garage exit. A camera was affixed at a location on the downward slope of a hill with a flashing yellow light that changes to red without changing to a solid yellow.
The camera generated $1.5 million in revenue from 20,000 motorists before officials removed it.
Mr. Anderson says one camera in Montgomery County was timed to catch violators after a three-second yellow light, while a series of preceding intersections had yellow lights set on a four-second cycle.
That camera, located in Bethesda, recorded 14,000 violations and generated more than $1 million in revenue before it was reset.
Mr. Anderson calls for all citations to be reviewed by a trained police officer before they are issued and for drivers to be presumed innocent when automated citations are issued.
Jurisdictions should buy or rent their enforcement equipment instead of paying for it by way of commissions, he says.
"There must be a reason that corporate America pays its sales staffs on commission," he said. "It drives up numbers. Should we be seeking to drive up the numbers of red-light violators?"
Mr. Anderson says that if jurisdictions want to prove that revenue is not the motivating factor behind their traffic cameras, they should devote the money from fines to traffic safety and not their general funds.

__________________

Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

Surprise, surprise. The good 'ole government gets caught commiting another felony crime. And people wonder why I'm so cynical.

'Course, in DC, the words "government, crime, and ticket" can usually be used in the same sentence.

A recent story came out about how one of the clerks that handled the payment of parking and other auto tickets was operating a scheme in which an outside woman would get would-be ticket payers to give her large sums of cash [bribes] which she would hand over to the government clerk. The clerk would then erase or mark as "paid" all the tickets on record for the ticket payer. She defrauded thousands upon thousands of dollars from the government so that she could line her pockets with bribe money.

That's just ONE story. Who knows what else is going on! At least DC no longer has a crack-head running the city. But they may as well...

__________________

Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

O.K., this is my last comment. I'm a little buzzed and trying to think of a polite way to say this... Lon Andersen is a self-serving prick. Do you know him??? Trust me, he only cares about one thing and it's not the welfare of folks who live in the city.

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Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

This really is my last commnet, not sure why, buy I'm really hopped up about this.... Do you have kids? Our roads are DANGEROUS as it is. Agressive drivers make it way worse. We need every licensed driver to be recertified and tested. We need to learn how to drive properly like in Europe. We need to raise the standards to operate a motor vehicle. Short of that, I'm 100% for any form of traffic law enforcement. Look at the stats that AAA published about how violations are down since the photo cop started.

__________________
Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

Hey I got one from the photo cop. They mailed me a ticket for 93 in a 50 on 295 South. I'm not a fast or agessive driver, but heck, it was after rush hour but not dark yet. I was on my way home and all alone on the road. I passed a car pulled way over on the shoulder and, bang, the brightest strobe light I've ever seen. The $300 ticket came in the mail two days later. I fully admit I was wrong and deserve the fine. The best part is no points and no hassle from the officer pulling me over. I've gone fifteen years (18 to 33) without any points on my license and hope to keep it that way. Long live the photo cop. BTW, I drive that section of raod every day. Straigt up, it's DANGEROUS. Some folks poking along and other doing 70 plus. The photo cop stationed there seems to have "calmed" things a bit.

P.S. I'd rather give my money to the District than to Geico.

Oh, btw, that clerck got busted, lost her job and pension, and has criminal charges pending in U.S. District Court. She will be serving time. ALL the folks she let off now have to pay their fine and will be charged the "points" associated with their offense.

DC's a world-class city AND a "sleepy Southern town" with all the corruption that goes with that. We're run by systems and folks put in place by the U.S. Congress (so if you don't like it do something). That whole Marion Barry substance abuse thing is low (and OLD news). Sure, we have problems, but until you've visited or lived in our nation's capitol, I'd urge you to hold off judgement.

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Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

you know, a lot of states have laws against sodomy and other sexual behavior, on account it's so dangerous. Since ALL forms of law enforcement are welcomed, I think people who think that should have cameras installed in the bedrooms. Nothing calms down illegal passion (say, oral CENSORED) like a strobe of light and summons in the mail. I mean, LAW is LAW, right?

__________________
1985 190D 2.2l Sold-to Brother-in-law
1996 Mustang 3.8l -"thinks it's a sports car"
1988 Grand Wagoneer - Sold (good home)
1995 Grand Cherokee Ltd -"What was I thinking??!!"

I've never lived in DC, but I've lived in the DC area my whole life and have worked in DC my entire career.

It is a wonderful city, with attributes one will not find anywhere else. But it's because the city can/should be so much more that what goes on there gets me so riled up. Stupid things always seem to happen there like receiving parking tickets because of being too close to a driveway, only to have the city decide to make more money a year later and install a parking meter at the exact same location! (Yeah, personal beef here.) I also agree that 295 may be one of the most dangerous roads in the nation.

The DC government got the city into a lot of financial/other problems which is why Congress stepped in. A lot of this cr@p goes on in other cities, but somehow DC always seems to be near the bottom.

I've met Marion Barry several times. He's a real piece of work and is largely responsible for getting the city where it "isn't".

__________________

Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

hmm, about 15 yrs ago I went trough DC with a buddy of mine, at about 3am. By mistake we started driving the wrong way on a oneway street downtown. As it happened, a cop was heading the opposite way. he swerved onto the sidewalk to avoid us and... kept going. I thought: " what a Kantry! what a City???"

__________________
1985 190D 2.2l Sold-to Brother-in-law
1996 Mustang 3.8l -"thinks it's a sports car"
1988 Grand Wagoneer - Sold (good home)
1995 Grand Cherokee Ltd -"What was I thinking??!!"

DC a word class city? You have to be joking. Congress controlls it and Home Rule needs to be repealed. Give it back to Maryland.

What a joke!

__________________
Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.