Interesting Article

One thing I wish the article had covered is what the laws are that require placing the signs that warn drivers they are entering a "photo enforcement zone". Do those rules vary between DPS and the cities? Are the rules different for fixed cameras versus van-mounted ones? And why do cameras require warning signs, when apparently an officer with a radar gun does not?

Does anyone here have any information about this for Arizona?

I like this quote,
"... 10 percent surcharge for the Citizens Clean Election Fund."

I would expect something done for safety would actually help safety, so this shows its a revenue generator. Glad I rarely drive over the speed limit, and when I do I'm usually well under the "flash" cut off and I'm always well below the speed of the fastest drivers...

I thought it interesting that some lights also nab you for illegal turns. The ones here in Tucson are red-light & speed cameras, but they can also get you for driving without having your seat belt on. BTW, our cameras are VIDEO cameras, not still cameras. You only get "flashed" at night to provide enough illumination for the frame grabbed stills that become the evidence. Not sure if the entire video is saved or just the stills are once the video is reviewed by TPD.

It was in the local media this past week that TPD says accidents and injuries have dropped at all four of our camera intersections, but if anyone showed the stats proving that this was true, I missed it...

One other thing I found informative was the agency citing the driver has 60 days to file and an additional 120 days to serve the citation, so you may not even get your ticket until 6 months after the violation.

On the AZ DPS site

http://photoenforcement.azdps.gov/About
has general information about their cameras.

In their FAQ
http://photoenforcement.azdps.gov/Questions/

they state:

"Are there any photo enforcement speed studies in the United States?

Yes, a comprehensive statistical analysis was recently conducted by the Arizona State University for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) following the first ever United States Freeway program. The program results were dramatic.

* The program reduced average speeds -9.5 mph.
* Side Swipe crashes -58%
* Single vehicle crashes -71%
* Total injuries -40%
* Total financial savings estimated to be $10MM per year in that 8 mile stretch alone due to reduced property damage, medical expenses, insurance costs, etc.
* Untold benefits include: less congestion time following a freeway accident, community productivity, safety of highway patrol officers responding to an accident, safety of highway patrol officers pursuing a speed related incident."

I suspect the untold benefits are not mentioned in the study, which is why they are untold...

There is also a pdf explaining how the cameras work here:
http://photoenforcement.azdps.gov/Docs/PE_Technology_2.pdf

I live in a state where the Attorney General has found speed and red light cams illegal.

This state needs money badly though...I'm sure they'll change it one of these days.

Thanks for the how it works link -- really interesting!

Might as well make them earn the money...

From the article:

DPS

DPS has 60 days from the original violation date to file a complaint in justice court. Once filed, the agency has 120 days to hand-deliver an Arizona Traffic Ticket and Complaint to the driver. The complaint is dismissed if DPS doesn't meet the deadline.

Cities

City violation notices are no different from DPS. If a mailed violation is ignored, it's the city's burden to file a complaint with justice court and properly serve the defendant in person, which is typically done through a process server.

And just read another interesting article about a backlash against the cameras here in Phoenix:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/12/15/20081215ca...

Also, they apparently set the trigger points differently based on the Zone - 11 MPH over to trigger in a 55 MPH zone, and only 10 over in 65+ MPH zones. I always heard before it was 11 everywhere.

Or until the Attorney General is replaced,
by a person with different thoughts on the legality
of red light cameras and speed cameras. Its just a matter of time, it seems like the revenue is to hard to pass up for states, cities & municipal districts.

Right on!

If there's a good source of revenue, the govt will find a way to make it work.

Just like legalized gambling has insinuated itself all over the states like a creeping vine, even with all the problems it causes, I have a feeling red light and speed cams will continue to proliferate.