TheNewspaper.com Roundup: February 13, 2013
Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
US DOT Blasts Mississippi For Diverting DUI Funds To Speeding Tickets
Mississippi police agencies have been diverting federal grant funds intended to combat drunk driving into an expansion of the use of speed traps. A report issued last week by the US Department of Transportation’s inspector general chided the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for its lax administration of the “Section 154″ grant program that failed to prevent the misuse of taxpayer money.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Photo Ticket Company Sells Photo Ticket Payment Service To Corporations
American Traffic Solutions (ATS) will not only issue traffic tickets to trucking firms, it wants to be hired by those same firms to automate the process of paying photo tickets on the firms’ behalf. ATS on Monday issued a twelve-page white paper explaining why large corporations should hire ATS to automate citation payments.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Largest Red-Light Camera Program In World Faces Widened Corruption Probe
The Australian Securities Exchange allowed trading to resume on Redflex stock this morning. On Thursday, the photo enforcement firm had requested a trading halt to prevent a massive sell-off as news leaked of a widening corruption probe in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Tribune’s report that a city official apparently took bribes from the company in the form of luxury trips and sporting tickets was confirmed by an official investigation. On Friday, Redflex received notice from the city that it will “not be considered a responsible bidder” for the red-light camera contract that comes up for renewal on July 31. That means the firm will lose 384 cameras, the single largest red-light camera contract in the world.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Australia, Germany, Poland: Traffic Cameras Under Fire
Australians are spitting on the drivers of photo radar vehicles, the Maroondah Leader reported. Police in Maroondah reported six incidents in the past month where beer cans were tossed at speed camera van drivers, or cars swerved toward the photo ticketing vehicle in a threatening way.
Friday, February 08, 2013
Kansas Supreme Court Rules Passing Sobriety Test Is Meaningless
Roadside sobriety tests can be used only to gather evidence to convict a driver, not to exonerate him, under a decision handed down last week by the Kansas Supreme Court. The court found passage of such tests is only one of many factors that play into the “whole picture” of whether someone should be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Florida City Caught Issuing 1645 Camera Tickets On Shortened Yellow
A tenth of a second can make a big difference. In St. Petersburg, Florida, the yellow time at intersections was shortened by fractions of a second for thousands of drivers, enabling the red-light camera program to generate an extra $259,910 in revenue in 13 months. To the unaided eye, the difference between a 4.3 second yellow and a 4.2 second yellow is too brief to be perceived, but it was enough to boost the number of citations issued by five percent.
You deserve every speeding ticket you get. You can complain all you want after the fact, but it's true. Find out why.
It's one of the "great" American past times: complaining about unfair speeding tickets. There are two types of people when it comes to complaining about this particular type of traffic ticket. Which group are you in?
7 Stories of Speed Trap Revenge: These drivers didn't let the authorities get away with their corrupt traffic enforcement practices. See how the little guys fought back.
This collection of stories will definitely entertain you, but make sure you don't buy into the underlying message. Find out the dangerous myth that these stories perpetuate.
3 dirty tricks that the ticket camera industry uses to steal money from safe drivers. Discover what you don't know.
Despite years of evidence showing that ticket camera companies don't care about safety and will do anything for a buck, there are few tricks that the average driver often fails to notice. You can help expose them.
Would you give strangers with guns permission to open your car door, sit down inside, and start looking through your personal belongings? No? Sorry, too late.
Most people don't understand just how much of their rights have been taken from them. Some people realize it and take action. Find out what kind of person you are.
