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I've often wondered if I could record traffic violations and upload them somewhere where the policen could act on them. I haven't done it because I'd be worried

I've often wondered if I could record traffic violations and upload them somewhere where the policen could act on them. I haven't done it because I'd be worried about retribution and because I doubt the police would act. Examples, cars going 65-70 in a 50mph zone. The the San Francisco Bay area Between Oakland across the Bay Bridge all the way to Candlestick park is a 50-55mph zone but lots of cars drive 70 all the way. I don't know how hard it would be to compute their speed relative to mine from the video. Easier examples, cars turning right from a left lane. Cars tailgating. Cars changing lanes without signaling. Cars changing lanes while crossing an intersection. Cars cutting people off. Cars passing on the right on a 1 lane street, essentially driving as though it's a two lane street. I'm not trying to be a snitch. I'd just like the roads to be safer. People who break traffic laws are effectively risking your life. That's not cool.

rndmize 14y ago
A lot of this sounds like typical congested city problems, and I don't know how much reporting it would do. I would hope the cops have better things to do than watch videos of people tailgating or changing lanes without signalling, frankly (as much as these may annoy me). That said, you could get a dashcam and send whatever particularly egregious incidents you run across to the cops by mail, probably.
- Karunamon 14y ago
  >I would hope the cops have better things to do than watch videos of people tailgating or changing lanes without signalling, frankly (as much as these may annoy me). Agreed, but I'd imagine you could hire people who had that as their primary job, and then make serious bank on the resulting fines. I can't imagine a single driver who hasn't seen some twit driving like a maniac and thinking "where's a cop when you need one"?
ojbyrne 14y ago
It's funny, but I most often feel the urge to do this when I see police doing similar things. Because that's even less cool, but also more noticeable. I know others who feel a similar sense of outrage.
- jeffool 14y ago
  Maybe someone can correct me or give a little more details, but I'm under the impression many communities have tried to make recording police officers illegal.
  - jlgreco 14y ago
    Communities aren't doing this. Police departments are using warped interpretations of wiretapping laws or just outright lying to go after people who film them. The will of the public is not considered.
- mindslight 14y ago
  911: "Hello, state police, what's your emergency?" Me: "I'd like to report a drunk driver on the Pike. They are driving in both lanes and nearly ran me off the road" 911: "Do you have a description of the vehicle?" Me: "Crown Vic with state license plate # 9" 911: "Mmhm, we'll get right on that" /me drives under posted speed limit the rest of the way home to avoid retribution.
CamperBob2 14y ago
I'd just like the roads to be safer. People who break traffic laws are effectively risking your life. That's not cool. If you want the roads to be safer, lobby your public officials for the implementation of 85th-percentile speed limits. There is absolutely zero evidence that enforcement of artificially-low highway speed limits makes anyone safer.
- Pwnguinz 14y ago
  Indeed. Link to a site that details the 85th-percentile speed limit in a logical fashion: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/speedlimits.html http://www.safespeed.org.uk/speedlimits.html (Disclaimer: The site links to a study done in British Columbia, Canada and I'm from British Columbia, Canada :)).
- GuiA 14y ago
  He cites speeding as one of his examples, and I agree with you; but he presents other examples that are very valid, and I think his point stands. Last night, I was driving with my girlfriend in SF, and we made a left turn onto the leftmost lane of a 3 lane street (19th Ave). Someone from the other side made a right turn onto the same street, but moved from the rightmost lane they were supposed to go in to the leftmost lane. (picture=1000 words: http://i.imgur.com/1cyok.jpg http://i.imgur.com/1cyok.jpg . We were the red arrow, they were the blue/gray arrow) We came within centimeters of a collision for something really dumb because this guy wasn't paying attention/was a poor driver/etc.
  - jamesbritt 14y ago
    Did they honk at you because you were in their lane? :) That's what I get in Scottsdale. You just have to assume here that every driver feels entitled and doesn't give a fuck. Whatever is the shortest or fastest path is their birthright.
  - refurb 14y ago
    This probably needs to be confirmed, but I don't think that's illegal in California. After moving here 2 years ago, I had to study for the driver's license written test and I remember being shocked at reading "when turning at an intersection, if you are in the only turning lane, you may enter into any of the lanes during your turn". So I'm imagining that if you both had green lights, since you were turning left, he had the right of way (not saying his actions weren't stupid by the way).
ryguytilidie 14y ago
Thats just the thing we need to keep the roads safe. Police looking through cell phone video of people going 15mph over the speed limit in modern vehicles that can easily safely go much faster. Ohhhh hackernews.
- Evbn 14y ago
  Modern vehicles in coordinated patterns can go fast safely. Modern drivers, not so much.
  - CamperBob2 14y ago
    Modern vehicles in coordinated patterns can go fast safely. Modern drivers, not so much. Evidence suggests otherwise (http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality.aspx?topicName=OverviewofFatalityFacts http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality.aspx?topicName=Overvie...).
    - nitrogen 14y ago
      According to your link, 34% of freeway fatalities are speeding related[0]. I wonder how that compares to non-fatal crashes and drivers in general. For example, if 34% of all drivers are speeding, and speeding is mostly uncorrelated to fatal crashes, then it would make sense for 34% of fatalities to involve speeding. [0] "Speeding was defined to include crashes in which the driver was issued a traffic citation for speeding or in which driver-related factors coded indicated speed as a factor (driving too fast for conditions, racing, or exceeding the posted speed limit)."
      - CamperBob2 14y ago
        For example, if 34% of all drivers are speeding, and speeding is mostly uncorrelated to fatal crashes, then it would make sense for 34% of fatalities to involve speeding. That's indeed a problem with the statistics, as is their conflation of exceeding a posted limit with driving too fast for conditions. These kinds of games are played all the time -- for instance, consider how an "alcohol related accident" is considered by some authorities to be one in which anyone including passengers in any involved vehicle were over the BAC limit. The resulting biased statistics make it hard to get the straight story on what factors genuinely affect traffic safety and what factors are overhyped for other purposes. In this case, it's probably worth keeping in mind how profitable insurance surcharges for speeding tickets are for the companies that sponsor the IIHS.

rndmize 14y ago

A lot of this sounds like typical congested city problems, and I don't know how much reporting it would do. I would hope the cops have better things to do than watch videos of people tailgating or changing lanes without signalling, frankly (as much as these may annoy me). That said, you could get a dashcam and send whatever particularly egregious incidents you run across to the cops by mail, probably.

Karunamon 14y ago
>I would hope the cops have better things to do than watch videos of people tailgating or changing lanes without signalling, frankly (as much as these may annoy me). Agreed, but I'd imagine you could hire people who had that as their primary job, and then make serious bank on the resulting fines. I can't imagine a single driver who hasn't seen some twit driving like a maniac and thinking "where's a cop when you need one"?

ojbyrne 14y ago

It's funny, but I most often feel the urge to do this when I see police doing similar things. Because that's even less cool, but also more noticeable. I know others who feel a similar sense of outrage.

jeffool 14y ago
Maybe someone can correct me or give a little more details, but I'm under the impression many communities have tried to make recording police officers illegal.
- jlgreco 14y ago
  Communities aren't doing this. Police departments are using warped interpretations of wiretapping laws or just outright lying to go after people who film them. The will of the public is not considered.
mindslight 14y ago
911: "Hello, state police, what's your emergency?" Me: "I'd like to report a drunk driver on the Pike. They are driving in both lanes and nearly ran me off the road" 911: "Do you have a description of the vehicle?" Me: "Crown Vic with state license plate # 9" 911: "Mmhm, we'll get right on that" /me drives under posted speed limit the rest of the way home to avoid retribution.

CamperBob2 14y ago

I'd just like the roads to be safer. People who break traffic laws are effectively risking your life. That's not cool. If you want the roads to be safer, lobby your public officials for the implementation of 85th-percentile speed limits. There is absolutely zero evidence that enforcement of artificially-low highway speed limits makes anyone safer.

Pwnguinz 14y ago
Indeed. Link to a site that details the 85th-percentile speed limit in a logical fashion: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/speedlimits.html http://www.safespeed.org.uk/speedlimits.html (Disclaimer: The site links to a study done in British Columbia, Canada and I'm from British Columbia, Canada :)).
GuiA 14y ago
He cites speeding as one of his examples, and I agree with you; but he presents other examples that are very valid, and I think his point stands. Last night, I was driving with my girlfriend in SF, and we made a left turn onto the leftmost lane of a 3 lane street (19th Ave). Someone from the other side made a right turn onto the same street, but moved from the rightmost lane they were supposed to go in to the leftmost lane. (picture=1000 words: http://i.imgur.com/1cyok.jpg http://i.imgur.com/1cyok.jpg . We were the red arrow, they were the blue/gray arrow) We came within centimeters of a collision for something really dumb because this guy wasn't paying attention/was a poor driver/etc.
- jamesbritt 14y ago
  Did they honk at you because you were in their lane? :) That's what I get in Scottsdale. You just have to assume here that every driver feels entitled and doesn't give a fuck. Whatever is the shortest or fastest path is their birthright.
- refurb 14y ago
  This probably needs to be confirmed, but I don't think that's illegal in California. After moving here 2 years ago, I had to study for the driver's license written test and I remember being shocked at reading "when turning at an intersection, if you are in the only turning lane, you may enter into any of the lanes during your turn". So I'm imagining that if you both had green lights, since you were turning left, he had the right of way (not saying his actions weren't stupid by the way).

ryguytilidie 14y ago

Thats just the thing we need to keep the roads safe. Police looking through cell phone video of people going 15mph over the speed limit in modern vehicles that can easily safely go much faster. Ohhhh hackernews.

Evbn 14y ago
Modern vehicles in coordinated patterns can go fast safely. Modern drivers, not so much.
- CamperBob2 14y ago
  Modern vehicles in coordinated patterns can go fast safely. Modern drivers, not so much. Evidence suggests otherwise (http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality.aspx?topicName=OverviewofFatalityFacts http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality.aspx?topicName=Overvie...).
  - nitrogen 14y ago
    According to your link, 34% of freeway fatalities are speeding related[0]. I wonder how that compares to non-fatal crashes and drivers in general. For example, if 34% of all drivers are speeding, and speeding is mostly uncorrelated to fatal crashes, then it would make sense for 34% of fatalities to involve speeding. [0] "Speeding was defined to include crashes in which the driver was issued a traffic citation for speeding or in which driver-related factors coded indicated speed as a factor (driving too fast for conditions, racing, or exceeding the posted speed limit)."
    - CamperBob2 14y ago
      For example, if 34% of all drivers are speeding, and speeding is mostly uncorrelated to fatal crashes, then it would make sense for 34% of fatalities to involve speeding. That's indeed a problem with the statistics, as is their conflation of exceeding a posted limit with driving too fast for conditions. These kinds of games are played all the time -- for instance, consider how an "alcohol related accident" is considered by some authorities to be one in which anyone including passengers in any involved vehicle were over the BAC limit. The resulting biased statistics make it hard to get the straight story on what factors genuinely affect traffic safety and what factors are overhyped for other purposes. In this case, it's probably worth keeping in mind how profitable insurance surcharges for speeding tickets are for the companies that sponsor the IIHS.