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Macey Bailey

Professor Hellmers

English 1201

14 March 2019

Traffic Cameras

In today’s world, people are always in a rush to get somewhere, and speeding to get

there. Traffic lights are one of the most dangerous signals out there when people don’t pay

attention and obey them. Traffic cameras are used to catch people in action breaking the law,

when the law enforcement can’t be there to see it themselves. Traffic cameras are used in cities,

at busy intersections that have a lot of traffic and wrecks. Crashes from traffic lights are one of

the most frequent car accidents because people are in a rush get through them. People also like to

use to old phrase “yellow doesn’t mean slow down, it means go faster to beat the light.” Drivers

don’t realize how waiting at the light for an extra minute isn’t worth causing a car accident. My

father got a surprise ticket and visit one time for running a traffic light on accident in order to

prevent a car accident from happening. I remember wondering how such technology worked,

without even getting pulled over on the spot by a cop, and how important it was to know the law

and your own rights.

Everytime someone gets into their car, turns their key into the ignition, and puts the car in

“drive”, not only is your life at risk, but other people’s as well. Obeying traffic laws is one of the

ways to prevent accidents from happening. Many people rush through lights because they’re in a

hurry or simply because they don’t want to wait until the next light. People being impatient cause
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wrecks, and a lot of damage. Traffic cameras is suppose to decrease accidents by catching those

people running through lights causing accidents. Same with speeding. I believe that enforcing

stronger traffic laws, and installing more cameras will be successful. I think many people would

be surprised and start obeying the laws more if they knew about the cameras and how effective

they are. Many drivers run red lights which cause these horrible accidents involving innocent

people following the law. Red light cameras have helped many communities, and cities by

enforcing strong traffic laws by photographing vehicles drivers have ran red lights. It makes me

upset when innocent people are losing their lives due to others being reckless and in a rush. It

just isn’t fair that careless people can hurt innocent lives and the families as well. I believe more

cameras can also reduce crime, and catch intoxicated drivers as well.

People think tickets are meant to hurt people. In the long run, it’s not about that. Tickets

are meant to teach people to obey the laws, and to promote public safety. How this works is, the

cameras are placed high up in the air ready to take pictures. There is a warning sign for people to

see that always says “Caution, camera ahead”. People are warned ahead of time before the

camera takes the picture. If the speed limit is posted, people are well aware not to speed, and that

the camera will catch them. Once the speeder is caught by the traffic camera, the ticket is then

mailed to their address. Another part people misinterpret about the tickets is that people think if

you don’t pay them, you will have a warrant sent out for your arrest. This is false, you will not be

arrested if you fail to pay the ticket, it won’t add up points on your driver's license, it won’t

affect your credit score, and it will not be reported to insurance companies. “If a driver fails to

pay their ticket, this can prevent you for registering for your car or other cars in the future.”

(Legge) It is sent to collections, and they will be placed on a list of registration holds, and cannot

register their car again until they pay their fines.

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Having traffic cameras in certain areas is about awareness. Awareness that there is speed

traffic cameras ahead, drivers tend to behave themselves and follow the speed limit in that area.

If someone knows that the camera is obviously installed in a certain area, the driver is mostly

likely not going to speed through that area. People tend to get random ideas that if there is a

traffic camera here, then there is probably going to be more traffic cameras ahead as well.

Especially driving through school zones, and urban areas where traffic cameras are heavily used

to catch people speeding through school zones putting danger out there for kids and families.

When people are aware about the cameras, they tend to watch their speeds and bad driving

habits. In several states, there is lists of locations where the traffic cameras are placed. There is

many warnings, and signs out there that people need to be aware about, and to follow the laws

and no ticket will be given.

Cameras in certain states are known as “highly effective”. The cameras are used on and

off duty. Having these cameras around overall promote safety. This helps when cops, and law

enforcement can’t catch the crimes when they happen, or have extra evidence when the crimes

do happen. For example, say there is a stabbing at night, and the cameras caught what happened

and got clear videos of what the victim and suspect look like, the video evidence of the crime

that was committed is now present. In cities, this helps catch crime when the crime is happening.

In other cases, if a car wreck happens and someone tries to flee the scene, the camera will catch

the model, make, license plate, and the car. Once they have the evidence from the scene someone

fled they will find out who did the hit and run. This holds the criminals accountable in busier

areas when the crime is happening. In busier areas such as big cities they are very useful for

crime too. These are just many of the reasons why the traffic cameras are worth having in all

states and areas.

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In Ohio, known as a “republican state”, traffic cameras are used in quite a lot of places.

The traffic camera debate has been up in the air for a long time, back and forth for the state. “The

Ohio bill is aimed at threading the needle between revenue and safety”, said Ohio Rep. Bill

Seitz, a Republican and chief sponsor of the bill to cut funding to towns by the amount they

collect in traffic camera tickets and to hear the cases in municipal court, rather than have them

adjudicated by a city employee administrator.“The cities claim this isn’t about money, it’s about

safety,” he said in an interview with Stateline. “I don’t believe that for a minute. But one way to

prove it is to say, tell you what, for every dollar you collect from this, we will reduce state ‘local

government fund’ money. We will still spend it on safety and improving state roads, but we will

do the spending, not them.” (Povich). This is still today an issue about whether or not it is a

waste of the money from the taxpayers, and the government. A lot of people believe it is a waste

of money, and that it can be spent on something more reliable, and useful.

Another concept regarding traffic lights is from a safety standpoint, the traffic cameras

minimize, or decrease the number of drivers who run through red lights. As a result, other drivers

and pedestrians are in a safer position. In some cases, drivers are less likely to get traffic tickets

because they are aware of the red-light cameras as opposed to taking their chances with getting

caught by a traffic police officer. The ticket revenue generated by the cameras is also useful in

community development. If people know, and respect the traffic cameras, they will not “run”

through them. They won’t disobey the law because the driver knows that the ticket will be on the

way to their address.

Published by Elaine S. Povich, she explains how the government is not out to get people

in trouble, or in jail. “Several states have had it with the traffic cameras, You’re not alone; a

growing number of states and cities are getting restless too. Several states have moved to get rid
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of the cameras or squelch their use in local communities as complaints pour in from drivers who

think the cameras are there to reap revenue rather than prevent accidents.” (Povich) Some states

in America ended its red light camera program four years ago. Now in today’s world, some

Garden State lawmakers want to hamper other states’ red-light enforcement by prohibiting the

state’s Motor Vehicle Commission from giving out identifying information on their residents to

other states. (Povich) Translating this means that if say for example someone who is from New

Jersey, they are a tag holder, and they receive a ticket because of a speed or red-light camera in

another state, New Jersey cannot provide the name and address associated with the license plate.

I do understand her view, it would be hard to catch someone breaking the law from another state.

It would be a waste of time, money, and use.

In today’s world, these cameras can catch corrupt law enforcement and the truth about

certain situations that happen. In the world we live in today, cops and victims are both falsely

accused of doing certain things to each other. These cameras, along with the body cameras both

show the real situation that happened at hand. Instead of the “he said”, or “she said”, they can

use the cameras and see what really happened if there was an altercation between law

enforcement, and a citizen. The truth always comes out when there is video evidence involved

and present. This also makes it easier when there is a court arrangement and the video evidence

can tell the truth to the courtroom. There is so many false assumptions that happen, but when the

cameras pick up the evidence and the truth, it makes it easier for people to get their justice that

they deserve.

Child abductions, trafficking, and any missing child alert is very important to everyone

to be aware about. Abductions, and trafficking is at an all time high right now, and these cameras

do the job of catching these abductions in the act. For example, say someone stole a child from a
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parent, and the parents have the make, and model of the car. From this information, people can

hunt down the abductor, and look at the videos from different intersections and see where the car

is heading. This video can also be sent out to have people be alert, and aware if they see this car

that it is an “amber alert”, or a child abduction.

In conclusion, traffic cameras are “extra” safety measures. There is nothing wrong with

having enough cameras, and safety in the world we live in today. Crimes, criminal activity, and

car accidents can never be completely gone, but crime itself can be reduced. Car accidents

happen when people are being careless, or simply just not paying attention. With video

surveillance, and traffic cameras in today’s world, they are worth having around, and in use.

With the cameras around and in use, they can help and make people more aware, and follow the

laws due to the cameras. This isn’t a permanent change, but this does reduce crime, and car

accidents around the areas with traffic cameras in use.

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Works Cited

Povich, Elaine S. “Taking a U-Turn on Red-Light, Speed Cameras.” The Pew Charitable Trusts,

“Several states have moved to get rid of the cameras or squelch their use in local communities as

complaints pour in from drivers who think the cameras are there to reap revenue rather than

prevent accidents” 25 Feb. 2019

Sochor, Jakub. “Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic Revision of

Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720.

Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.” Traffic Surveillance Camera Calibration by 3D Model

Bounding Box Alignment for Accurate Vehicle Speed Measurement., vol. 161, Aug. 2017, pp.

87–98., doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f. Ohio Link. Sinclair Library, Dayton, OH. 25 Feb.

2019

Ershadi , Nastaran Yaghoobi Yaghoobi Ershadi, and José Manuel Menéndez. “Figure 2f from:

Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae,

Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720. Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.”

Vehicle Tracking and Counting System in Dusty Weather with Vibrating Camera Conditions,
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vol. 2017, no. 1, 24 Aug. 2017, pp. 1–9., doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f. Ohio Link.

Sinclair Library. Dayton, OH. 25 Feb. 2019.

Legge, Jerome S. Traffic Safety Reform in the United States and Great Britain. University of

Pittsburgh Press, 1991. 25 Feb. 2019.

Welsh-Huggins, Andrew. “Ohio Supreme Court Hears Toledo Traffic Camera Arguments.” U.S.

News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 24 Apr. 2018, www.usnews.com/news/best-

states/ohio/articles/2018-04-24/ohio-supreme-court-to-hear-toledo-traffic-camera-arguments. 26

Feb. 2019

Bostian, Patricia, and Harry Phillips. The Purposeful Argument: a Practical Guide. Wadsworth,

2016.

“NMA Objections to Red Light Cameras.” National Motorists Association,

www.motorists.org/issues/red-light-cameras/objections-2/. 26 Feb. 2019

Frolik, Cornelius. “Traffic Cameras Returning to Dayton.” Daytondailynews, Staff Writer, 13

July 2017, www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/traffic-cameras-returning-

dayton/od70e1wnZPZNkQtcUhVj6I/. 26 Feb. 2019

Hearst Television Inc. WLWT, WLWT, 7 Oct. 2017, www.wlwt.com/article/traffic-cameras-

good-at-catching-speeders----maybe-too-good/2558674. 26 Feb. 2019

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Eccles, Kimberly A., and Hugh W. McGee. Impact of Red Light Camera Enforcement on Crash

Experience: a Synthesis of Highway Practice. Transportation Research Board, TRB, 2003. 27

Feb. 2019