Photo Radar Fun

[SpiderGearsMan]

A 44-year-old Arizona man allegedly tried to fool the photo radars that record a vehicle's speed. It worked for a while — until the police caught up with him.

Timothy Welsh allegedly used a permanent marker to change both the 3 and the 9 on his license plate to an 8, so when his vehicle got nabbed for speeding, the ticket was sent to someone else...

At first, Scottsdale Sgt. Jim Butera thought it was a mistake when a Phoenix man called him complaining he had gotten two speeding tickets mailed to him, but he wasn't the one speeding.

When Butera looked at the photo and saw the man making an obscene gesture at the camera he thought, "[we] need to do some more investigating."

"He didn't think it was that big of a deal," Butera told the station. "But he admitted to everything that we accused him of."

Welsh allegedly was going 14 mph over the speed limit and would have had to pay a $175 fine, but now, he's facing a $1,500 fine and up to a year in jail.

[fahrenschnell]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

What a moron.....Or is that Genius ;)

Seth

[squirrel]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

all you need to do is cover your face so they can't positively identify you. Screwing with the plate is really stupid.

[JOES66FURY]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I have read that the lights are costing more money than they make becasue of accidents casued by people slamming on their brakes to avoid a ticket...Some cities are removing them becasue of safety concerns.....

[Brad54]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I really have no problem with red-light cameras. Including the city using them as a revenue generator. IT'S A RED LIGHT! That means STOP you idiot, before you t-bone someone. That's why it's RED. If you can't follow that one simple rule, you don't belong behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. If the government gets fat off your stupidity, so much the better. Maybe they won't hassle me for driving 63 in a 55, or 76 on the freeway.

-Brad

[RyanWalker]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I really have no problem with red-light cameras. Including the city using them as a revenue generator. IT'S A RED LIGHT! That means STOP you idiot, before you t-bone someone. That's why it's RED. If you can't follow that one simple rule, you don't belong behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. If the government gets fat off your stupidity, so much the better. Maybe they won't hassle me for driving 63 in a 55, or 76 on the freeway.

-Brad

There is one ticket that is total bullshit though, as far as red light violations go.. the red light right turn. If you are an inch behind the maximum stopping distance from the crosswalk and you stop, look both ways, proceed when clear in a legal right turn on red zone, SNAP, camera goes of and you get the ticket. I've had cops tell me it's scam. If you physically run through a redlight like you said, then yes the book should be thrown at your head.

[antmnte]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

When NYC first installed them they caught mostly city busses and cop cars. Then it looks like someone shot it I dont know if the one im thinking of works anymore.

[HoosierGTA]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I wouldn't mind them if it wasn't for the fact that they are sold to the city on the merits of revenue more than safety enforcement. This is why lights that have the cameras have a shorter yellow light. Sounds like entrapment to me . They now most places that need enforcement (Hence the camera going up) put an officer there !

[Agent-OO6.]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

BINGO,'H-GTA'! ~OO6.

[hamrmech]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

only way this is funny is if a city councilman was the one getting the bogus ticket, not some random guy with the wrong plate number.

[BBR]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I don't like the idea of them at all. We just had them installed on 2 intersections. My real problem is the ticket is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. So if I sell a car to some bozo, he never changes the reg to his name and runs a light, I'd get the ticket. Then it becomes a "guilty until proven innocent" situation. I have to waste my time and resources to prove that I do not own the vehicle or wasn't driving at the time.

It's totally about the $$$$. I definitely was surprised when Lubbock, Texas decided to remove their's because they didn't feel they were really helping. Hats off to them.

[Monster]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

all you need to do is cover your face so they can't positively identify you. Screwing with the plate is really stupid.

I agree, intentionally altering a plate is against the law, but covering your face so they can't positively identify you is incorrect. The ticket is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. If the owner say's "it wasn't me driving", then the owner is required to provide the driver's details of who was driving the vehicle. If no information is provided, the owner gets the ticket.

How's that for motivation to "police" your own family and friends ?

:P

[DanStokes]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

Ours here in Wilmington seem to be working pretty well. I've never heard of anyone getting the turning ticket someone mentioned - I don't think ours ticket for that. They are installed only on high-accident corners, and seem to have gotten the idea across that STOP means STOP.

They may get removed, however. The deal is that here in NC, the revenue is supposed to go to the schools, and the state legislators didn't allow the city to keep enough money to pay the contractor (ours are run by a contractor). So right now the whole deal is in limbo.

As far as the ticket getting to the wrong person - in every state where I've lived, the plate goes with the person, not the car. If you leave your plate on your car when you sell it, you're just asking for it. I know some states don't do plates that way, and in that case you would want to go to the DVM with the buyer and make damn sure s/he has transferred the title and insurance. A pain, to be sure, but it protects your good name.

Dan

[JRoberts]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I wouldn't mind them if it wasn't for the fact that they are sold to the city on the merits of revenue more than safety enforcement. This is why lights that have the cameras have a shorter yellow light. Sounds like entrapment to me . They now most places that need enforcement (Hence the camera going up) put an officer there !

Some folks in Raleigh and Fayetteville (NC) timed the lights and you are indeed correct. The yellow was shorter which meant more people got ticketed. Also here the money generated is supposed to go to local education, but there are reports that in many places that wasn't the way things were going so the courts told the communities involved to remove the cameras. As was stated earlier, some communities have given the system up because the revenues generated were not enough to pay for the cameras. In my opinion a box that looked like a camera that had a sign that said it was a camera might do as much good (until somebody leaked the truth to the paper) as far as improving safe driving. Sort of like an unmanned police or patrol car.

[Matt Cramer]

Re: Photo Radar Fun

I wouldn't mind them if it wasn't for the fact that they are sold to the city on the merits of revenue more than safety enforcement. This is why lights that have the cameras have a shorter yellow light. Sounds like entrapment to me . They now most places that need enforcement (Hence the camera going up) put an officer there !

I've noticed the same problem. The red lights with cameras often have a short, unforgiving yellow. I've often found myself having to stomp on the brakes almost to the point of locking them to avoid having the camera catch me. That doesn't exactly make me feel safer.