Traffic Camera Blocker

[buckeyeshooter1]

I have an added on download on my Tom tom GPS that shows the location of these cameras on the map and it gives you a 'buzz' when you are getting close to one, thus giving you time to make any adjustment needed to keep from getting a citation.

 

[dmar]

I have an added on download on my Tom tom GPS that shows the location of these cameras on the map and it gives you a 'buzz' when you are getting close to one, thus giving you time to make any adjustment needed to keep from getting a citation.

Very cool download! Do you know if Garmin offers this...?

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

They are illegal in Texas and they are all over Houston, but that does not stop 99% of the people from sending in checks when they get tickets. As long as the courts are raking in a mint fleecing the sheep, they will not bother with the few who object properly.

 

[ladder13]

Is the cell phone a ticket?(notice I didn't ask if it was an offence)

DG

$100, but doesn't stop the soccer moms with a mini-van full of kids.

 

[Smokin' Iron]

Hmmm....traffic cameras are starting to appear in this general area. Now I finally have a use for a paintball gun.

 

[The Big D]

Jimmy,

This is some sort of spray containing silver or other reflective metal particles. It works by reflecting back the light from the camera flash and blinding the camera. It has variable effectiveness depending on how much of it you spray on the plate, and the angle between the flash and your license plat. The more oblique the angle, the less well it works.

You might want to check and see if it is legal in your jurisdiction.

It was because of one of these damnable automatic cameras, for which I was cited doing 27 in a 25 zone, that I finally had had enough and voted with my feet moving out of D.C. and to Virginia, where no LEO would be so overbearing as to write up someone for a 2 mph over the limit violation. These are revenue enhancement, not law enforcement, programs, and they are made all the more offensive when run by private companies.

What's next? Blackwater goons showing up at the door when you refuse to pay?


Bullseye

Interested in knowing in what jurisdiction you received a "27 in a 25 zone" ticket.

Be safe.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

Interested in knowing in what jurisdiction you received a "27 in a 25 zone" ticket.

Be safe.

The Peoples' Republik of the Distrikt of Kolumbia, on the unit block of Michigan Avenue, N.E., just in front of Trinity College. The camera was mounted on the front bumper of a Ford Crown Vic, which was manned by some slug who actually was asleep behind the wheel while he was parked at the curb.

When I saw the flash in my rearview mirror, I pulled over, walked back, and just couldn't believe that this slacker was actually asleep while the machine did the work.

I considered mayhem, but decided the sensible thing was to vote with my feet. Eight or nine weeks later I moved to where I am now here in Blue Ridge where using such things as automated traffic cameras would be considered the height of rude behavior, and anyway, if the county supervisors ever voted to install such a system they would be voted out of office at the next election if they were not tarred, feathered, and ridden out of the county on a rail, first.


Bullseye

 

[The Big D]

Received a "red light" violation ticket in the mail about two weeks ago. It was from a locale I do not recall having visited. Regardless if I had ever, or not, the town is about 135 miles away, and I surely wasn't there on the day in question...nor was I riding the motorcycle pictured blowing the light.

I have a very unusual set of license plates on my Range Rover, but the person who ran the tag prior to sending the ticket to me failed to input the prefix on the actual violator's plate and associated it to me. Now one would think that person would have noted the fact that my registration clearly notes a truck...not a Harley-Davidson...and think something was amiss. Nope, they did not.

In lieu of asking for a court appearance or paying the fine as noted, I contacted the Chief of Police via e-mail. His assistant replied a few days later and said the ticket was being dismissed, sent written notice of same soon thereafter, and I got formal notice of the dismissal from the District Court yesterday. Happy ending.

Be safe.

 

[The Big D]

The Peoples' Republik of the Distrikt of Kolumbia, on the unit block of Michigan Avenue, N.E., just in front of Trinity College. The camera was mounted on the front bumper of a Ford Crown Vic, which was manned by some slug who actually was asleep behind the wheel while he was parked at the curb.

When I saw the flash in my rearview mirror, I pulled over, walked back, and just couldn't believe that this slacker was actually asleep while the machine did the work.

I considered mayhem, but decided the sensible thing was to vote with my feet. Eight or nine weeks later I moved to where I am now here in Blue Ridge where using such things as automated traffic cameras would be considered the height of rude behavior, and anyway, if the county supervisors ever voted to install such a system they would be voted out of office at the next election if they were not tarred, feathered, and ridden out of the county on a rail, first.


Bullseye

They usually do have a camera at that very location. Think it's mostly used to garner revenue from doctors, nurses, paramedics, and patients who are associated with Washington Hospital Center about a half-mile, or so, down the street. It also catches unruly Nuns and Priests and parishioners who are attending services at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception...across the street. See, these devices are useful.

Be safe.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

They usually do have a camera at that very location. Think it's mostly used to garner revenue from doctors, nurses, paramedics, and patients who are associated with Washington Hospital Center about a half-mile, or so, down the street. It also catches unruly Nuns and Priests and parishioners who are attending services at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception...across the street. See, these devices are useful.

Be safe.

I worked at the Washington Hospital Center, and lived in the apartment complex across from Trinity College. I received my MSW from Catholic University just down the street two blocks in the other direction. Yes, you've got to keep a close eye on those scofflaw nurses, doctors, social workers, priests, and nuns. A very dangerous group.


Bullseye

 

[zoom6zoom]

^No LO in their right mind would write a ticket for 2 over.

DG

I've actually witnessed it. Crossing the state line from WV into Maryland, I was at exactly the limit because I knew they usually sat on the welcome mat, guy in the left lane barely crept past me and got pulled over by a MD State Troo... Revenue Enhancement Officer.

 

[whitecoyote]

Hi:
While waiting in my car at the Mall (Wife shopping) a older gentleman gave me a business card and a short sales speech about a spray that when applied to the license plate renders a photo of your license plate messed up by the Traffic Cameras

Does it come with a guarantee? Will he pay the fine?
If not, walk (and fast)!
My "Spidey Sense" smells B.S.!

 

[LVSteve]

I seem to recall reading that one of the western states, maybe Arizona, had had a lot of these cameras in use but was taking them all down. Most people were ignoring the tickets. The issue was that the state or municipality could not prove that the "victim" had even received the ticket in the mail. I guess they were too tight to use registered mail with a return receipt.

I think the whole concept stinks. It's all about revenue and probably impairs safety.

IIRC, the other issue was that the camera operator also set up the particular city's traffic light system. Once all the cameras were up, the yellow timing was shortened to below that recommended by some great body like the NHTSA or the Traffic Light Controllers of America. Either way, they issued a ticket to somebody in the know and then the SHTF. The whole deal was called into question on legal grounds and even entrapment. Can you stop in time on a 45 mph piece of road for a 2 second yellow light? Thought not.

 

[oldman45]

IIRC, the other issue was that the camera operator also set up the particular city's traffic light system. Once all the cameras were up, the yellow timing was shortened to below that recommended by some great body like the NHTSA or the Traffic Light Controllers of America. Either way, they issued a ticket to somebody in the know and then the SHTF. The whole deal was called into question on legal grounds and even entrapment. Can you stop in time on a 45 mph piece of road for a 2 second yellow light? Thought not.

I partly agree with this. As an expert in accident reconstruction and a few other areas of traffic studies, I have been called to testify in courts across the south. Traffic signals are timed on many things. The use of a camera will not effect the length of a yellow signal. This is set based on speed limit, the width of the cross street intersection, number of lanes and a couple other things.

A yellow is set so an approaching vehicle will have time to clear the entire intersection with a full size vehicle before an intersecting motorist gets a green light. Every intersection has a TSI (traffic signal index) written for it and is on file for traffic use and for court decisions.

What the timed yellow will not do is allow for a motorist getting a yellow face signal from 200 feet prior to the intersection to safely clear the intersection. If you have time to stop, then do so. Anyone getting a yellow within say 40 feet of the intersecting street will usually have time to clear the intersection.

Now my gripe about the traffic cams. They do not allow for all circumstances such as a tailgating semi travelling at 50 MPH being on your bumper when you need to be hitting the brakes. However it is far better to be hit from the rear when stopping for a light than broadside while disregarding a traffic signal.

In short, if you get a ticket for running a light, then you had time to stop for that light.

 

[BarbC]

In Delaware, at the exit from the high-speed Route 1 and back onto the local Route 13, there is a long, long red light. Then about 500 feet down the road, there is another long, long red light. The timing between the two lights generally allows you to get past that 2nd light only if you are the 2nd car behind the first light and you don't dawdle. If you're the 3rd car, you look like this:

 

[n4zov]

Just for the sake of discussion, 27 in a posted 25 is indeed over the speed limit.

True, but ticketing for being 2 mph over the posted limit doesn't allow for possible variations in speedometer accuracy. Drivers don't have much way to know if their car's speedometer is accurate or not. That is why law enforcement vehicles typically have "certified" speedometers that are accurate to within two-percent and LE speedometers are normally marked in some way to show they meet a certain level of accuracy. There are just too many variables involved to not give some +/- allowance to drivers. Having no allowance just proves the whole set up is intended to increase revenue. Municipalities using those cameras should just set up a road block and demand money from drivers at gun point. IMHO there isn't much difference.

 

[pete950]

Wow when I worked a traffic car I would'nt even waste my time unless you were 12mph over, if you weren't an indiot most of the time got a verbal.

Pete

 

[paladin42]

I've had no experience with the various sprays, lenses, covers, etc. that are suppossed to fool the cameras, but logic would suggest that if the human eye can see the plate, then a camera can see the plate.

Is there some law of light physics that I'm not aware of?

 

[BUFF]

In most states it is illegal to alter the appearance of your license plates. Something like the spray mentioned here sounds like it would do just that.

My state legislature outlawed traffic speed cameras about 15 years ago after one of our larger cities in the valley began their use. Lots of bad tickets were written.

My best friend, who had just retired from the agency using the speed cams, got sent a ticket demanding a $60.00 fine along with a photograph of him in his car. He sent them a photograph of three $20.00 bills. They sent him another demand for payment accompanied by a photograph of a pair of handcuffs.

A coworker got one accusing him of doing 63 in a 50 zone. The photo clearly showed his car, his plate, and him sitting stationary in a left turn lane. His steering wheels were cranked all the wy to the left as he intended to make a U turn when he got space to do so. It was a very cold day, and the exhaust emitted from his tail pipe drifted pretty much straight up, as did his cigrette smoke coming out his drivers window. It was plainly obvious that there was no way his vehicle could be sitting there, wheels cranked hard left, with smoke drifting gently up, and be moving at 63 mph. Clearly the radar was measuring something else, not the car the camera was focussed on.

It took 4 hours off from his job to get the ticket dismissed.

In the end, we had motorists driving their cars and trucks wearing Halloween masks, wigs, hoodies pulled nearly closed and the classic glasses, giant nose, giand mustache combo. I saw one guy a few times who was driving in makeup looking like Al Jolson, in blackface.

A bad system the way they are usually administered.

 

[Engineer1911]

Revenue Enhancement

My picture from Kingsport, TN was # 0044,8xx dated 8-12-10 for the modest sum of $100. Taking pictures works to the tune of $500,000. My Georgia plate was clearly legible and I remember getting thru the light on yellow, but it turned red right after I crossed the center of the intersection. Oh, 3 cars get thru the green left turn arrow and the left turn lane is almost a block long and full of cars.