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I've heard the argument before, not sure if it was backed with any real data, that perfect enforcement leads to wiping out tickets as a source of revenue, becau

by vhold 11y ago

I've heard the argument before, not sure if it was backed with any real data, that perfect enforcement leads to wiping out tickets as a source of revenue, because people start actually obeying the law. In some cases it actually makes things more dangerous, like red-light cameras appear to cause accidents, because people afraid of tickets start slamming on their brakes when the light turns yellow, and get rear ended. http://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-camera-backlash-cameras-causing-accidents/story?id=13925887 http://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-camera-backlash-cameras-c...

prodigal_erik 11y ago
States have had to pass laws preventing cities from setting unreasonably fast yellow lights to profit from violations.
hardwaresofton 11y ago
Also I don't think that kind of meta-analysis lasts some rounds of conditioning. Right now the "meta" is to not slam on your brakes at a yellow turning red because the person behind you might be expecting you to go through it. But if the expectation changes -- which could very well be caused by no one wanting to receive automated tickets any more, the person behind will most likely stop expecting you to go through it, as they're very aware of the risk of getting auto-ticketed too.
scott00 11y ago
It's a bit more subtle than that: they tend to decrease the incidence of side impact collisions (which have a high injury potential), and increase the incidence of rear impact collisions (which have a somewhat lower, but non-zero injury potential). Overall results vary depending on your definition of success (less total collisions? less injuries? less side impact collisions?) and the characteristics of the intersection (approach speed, sight lines, etc). CDC has a good concise overview: http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator/factsheet/redlight.html http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator/factsheet/r...
bsder 11y ago
> perfect enforcement leads to wiping out tickets as a source of revenue, because people start actually obeying the law. Exactly. And this is why most red-light cameras got dismantled. They were about revenue. Once everybody knew that the cameras were there, revenue went to zero. I have NO problem with red-light cameras at actually dangerous intersections. The goal is to get people to obey the law, after all.
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by vhold 11y ago

prodigal_erik 11y ago

States have had to pass laws preventing cities from setting unreasonably fast yellow lights to profit from violations.

hardwaresofton 11y ago

Also I don't think that kind of meta-analysis lasts some rounds of conditioning. Right now the "meta" is to not slam on your brakes at a yellow turning red because the person behind you might be expecting you to go through it. But if the expectation changes -- which could very well be caused by no one wanting to receive automated tickets any more, the person behind will most likely stop expecting you to go through it, as they're very aware of the risk of getting auto-ticketed too.

scott00 11y ago

It's a bit more subtle than that: they tend to decrease the incidence of side impact collisions (which have a high injury potential), and increase the incidence of rear impact collisions (which have a somewhat lower, but non-zero injury potential). Overall results vary depending on your definition of success (less total collisions? less injuries? less side impact collisions?) and the characteristics of the intersection (approach speed, sight lines, etc). CDC has a good concise overview: http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator/factsheet/redlight.html http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator/factsheet/r...

bsder 11y ago

> perfect enforcement leads to wiping out tickets as a source of revenue, because people start actually obeying the law. Exactly. And this is why most red-light cameras got dismantled. They were about revenue. Once everybody knew that the cameras were there, revenue went to zero. I have NO problem with red-light cameras at actually dangerous intersections. The goal is to get people to obey the law, after all.

deleted 11y ago
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