Recent Comments:
Cobra set to unveil red-light camera / radar detector {Engadget}
Jan 9th 2007 4:15PM Countdown timers are being added to pedestrian WALK/DONT WALK signs here in Florida (some parts anyway)... so maybe the same idea could somehow migrate to the traffic lights themselves!
Cobra set to unveil red-light camera / radar detector {Engadget}
Jan 6th 2007 11:03AM The reason traffic-light cameras are used is USUALLY because enough accidents have occurred at an intersection to warrant additional scrutiny. The manpower to provide that scrutiny (and write tickets) is limited by labor budgets. So the ticket camera was born. But all of these solutions (man or machine) only REACT to a problem, they don't address the cause. If a blue light was flashing in the center of an intersection, drivers would probably slow down as a whole. If a driver KNOWS ahead of time that big brother is watching they will drive to not get a ticket (if they have brains at all). Thus, the Cobra solution actually gets to the root of the problem in an indirect way that only affects those who own such a device - a small percentage of those using the intersection. At the West Palm Beach airport, the entry road always has a marked Sheriff's car sitting in a conspicuous location and a portable radar sign that measures and displays your speed. Unless you use the airport everyday, you don't know if actual radar is being used or if the car is manned. Either way, the VERY VISIBLE deterents work. Most go the correct speed at that location.
The really sad part is that those who bust through late yellow and red lights make those decisions based solely on their need to get where they are going (late or time to spare or joy-riding). Never do people think that they might cause an accident that could take a life.
Any solution that helps even a few drivers act appropriately at a bad intersection is good - too bad these types of solutions can't help all the drivers. VERY VISIBLE deterents work best, especially if they are coupled with maybe there / maybe not law enforcement manpower!
