Arizona Drivers Rebel Against Highway Speed Cameras; Program a Financial Failure

I've driven to AZ quite a bit lately, since I live in SoCal and my mother in law moved to Phoenix. Yes, those cameras are everywhere, BUT:

1. They're required to have warning signs posted ahead of the cameras. If you're properly paying attention, you have no excuse for getting caught.

2. They really work wonders for keeping speeds under control! The difference between drivers in AZ and those in CA was enormous.

As you can guess, I'm actually a supporter of the cameras. While I haven't been ticketed by one (yet?), if I do I can only blame myself for not paying enough attention.

The monkey mask is Top Gears idea! I would like to know if it worked.

Here's the trouble, felonious: Where I was near Sun City on the 101 the traffic overreacted by driving jamming on their brakes and slowing to 5 to 10 mph under the posted limit each and every time we came to one of those signs. All four lanes dropped to the same speed, and everyone bunched up together. There was no way to simply keep driving at the posted limit with a decent gap ahead and behind. Once past the camera, things picked up to the speed limit, only to have the process repeat itself a couple of miles later, at the next camera.

This rolling accordion happened everywhere the cameras were. It felt worse than the old 55 mph speed limit days. You need a little speed differentiation between lanes to maintain smooth (and safe) traffic flow. This ain't that.

IF speed was a big factor in safety, then I may be for them too...but alas, it's not. They are revenue raisers. PERIOD.

What speed triggers the ticket? 10 mph over? 15?

The bad thing is that these take judgment out of ticketing. An officer (a good one) is unlikely to ticket if the prevailing speed is 10 mph over, and will likely go for the those exceeding the prevailing speeds by a significant margin, because differential of speed causes the problem.

Also, it's insane for this revenue generator to put points on your record. At most, they should be an infraction that does not go on your record, because the camera has no judgment of unsafe behavior.

Given my generally libertarian sensibilities, I'd normally be against such things as speed cameras, but when I drove out to Tucson for my wife's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary from LA I discovered just how much I prefer the speed camera system. As noted above, they're required to notify you well in advance of an approaching speed camera. They'll tell you precisely how far out it is, so I could continue traveling at my perfectly safe, extra-legal speeds and just hit the brakes when a camera came up, getting back up to a reasonable speed again as soon as I passed it. It killed gas mileage a bit, but it was much easier to avoid this revenue generation scheme than it is to avoid the revenue collectors in the black and white cars.

The LA Times article has the answers to all of your questions:

1. The monkey masked worked part of the time. He got out of 4 tickets with it, but was still found responsible for 7.

2. 11 MPH or greater triggers the camera. I think that's very reasonable, considering the error range of most speedometers at freeway speeds.

3. Speed apparently is a big factor in safety. After the cameras were installed, one area saw the lowest rate of accidents in the past 15 years.

Again, this is info from the LA Times article linked to in the post, not info from me. Don't shoot the messenger. :)

Thank you stovt001, well said. I'd also like to point out that I didn't experience much of the accordion effect that actualsize referred to. The residents all know where the cameras are and are already slowed to near the speed limit by the time they get to them. I experienced a good traffic flow even at rush hour.

Also, the cameras use radar, so you can get a detector. I couldn't find any online info about them being illegal in AZ, but I could be wrong. I use my V1 whenever I leave town as a general rule.

I think the speed cameras are bs.

1) It says in one area the accidents decreased. Does this mean that in the other areas they increased? How many areas are there? How many accidents total per area per year? This is a prime example of presenting selective data.

2) the revenue was 19 million but how much is it costing to support this? Is it really worth tying up the court systems?

This is the exact same thing that happened here in Virginia. Is there any state where speeds cameras actually produced enough revenue to stick around?

I'd like the facts on how much revenue is generated per CHP goon and compare it to the cost of the average CHP goon and his insurance, pension, vehicle. I'd also love to see how many times per day a CHP goon helps someone (flat tire, accident, car breakdown). I have a feeling the numbers will swing wildly toward tickets and offer very little in the way of public service or assistance. The speed cameras, like HP goons, exist to punish citizens. They are not meant to help...

I have no problem with AZ's system. It sure beats a speed trap and the camera is a lot cheaper than an officer. Lower state taxes are OK with me.

Traffic cameras exist to generate revenue. Plain and simple.

"Traffic cameras exist to generate revenue. Plain and simple."

The same could be said for meter maids. I'm awfully tempted to say the same for patrolling officers.

"The same could be said for meter maids. I'm awfully tempted to say the same for patrolling officers."

Sad to say, you are correct. Traffic tickets are just another revenue stream and any relationship they may have to traffic safety is strictly coincidental.

I oppose anything "big brother"-like. Speed cameras qualify.

Illinois allows speed cameras on tollways and in construction zones. They are not required notify you of their presence. A little different implementation from Arizona, but the concept is the same.

@estreka, not exactly the same for state troopers. They have many more important functions in keeping the highways safe and free of crime. In the meantime, however, speed enforcement pays a bit of their overhead and keeps them alert.

Not that I like that function, as I have received my only speeding ticket from a state trooper. Ten mph over the speed limit, where the highway posted speed dropped from 55 to 45 over one section. Cherry picking. Not happy.

What function does the HP play in keeping people safe? The majority of their time is spent circling the waters looking for fish..er drivers to feed on.

I'd rather pay $500 more per year in state taxes than have to deal with driving ridiculously slow on barren freeways.

Some states are considerably worse than others with regard to HP.
In Texas, they are notoriously sneaky, but they have to be (no state income tax). And the tickets are quite expensive ($125 for just 5mph over; double in school, work, or hospital zones). There are also a lot of them (3,400 covering 262K sq miles).
In Montana, speeding tickets are typically $10-$15, which you can pay on the spot (no record). There also aren't very many of them (200 covering 147K sq miles). If you see 2 on a highway, you likely won't see any more.

I'm so sick of police and the government in general targeting otherwise completely law-abiding citizens for revenue generation for the heinous "crime" of keeping up with traffic that's going 10 MPH above the speed limit. It's not a safety issue (ok a crash at 75 is worse than one at 65, but a crash at 65 isn't like it's a GOOD thing).

I see it as harassment, mainly. Of course for those who are reckless in how they travel down the road (either with or without excessive speed) need to be dealt with. But if I'm cruising to work in the fast lane with everyone else? Leave me alone, for god's sake...