On camera or not, red light means stop

Bob Gabordi's blog Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

Report item as: (required) X

Obscenity/vulgarity Hate speech Personal attack Advertising/Spam Copyright/Plagiarism Other

Comment: (optional)

On camera or not, red light means stop

Posted 10/6/2009 8:22 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

I hate to change the subject, but I’ve been trying to write this one for a week. Count me as being in favor of the cameras at traffic lights. I like the idea for a few reasons:

1. Don’t do the crime if you can’t pay the dime.
2. Law enforcement officers have better things to do than sitting around waiting for some knucklehead to hurry through a stop light – obviously, a machine can do that.
3. We need the extra money that will come from more tickets because some people just can’t help themselves.
4. I’m tired of deciding whether to break the law and go through the light or stop and be slammed into by said above knucklehead who has no intention of stopping, nor does the knucklehead behind him (or her) and sometimes the knucklehead goes, too.

Please don’t give me constitutional-rights arguments. You have the constitutional right to stop when the light turns red. Period.

The argument – and the lawsuits – has to do with tickets being sent to car owners who might or might not be driving the car at the time of the infraction.

That makes as much sense to me as the “dog ate my homework.” Maybe it did, but still no credit in my book.

Or, more to the point, that’s like saying law enforcement should have to tie its hands behind its backs and be blindfolded to catch traffic law violators.

Why?

How about this: What if we just stop when the light turns red, including when making a right turn?

What if we actually yield the right away when there is a yield sign?

What if we stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk?

What if we slow down when we see a school bus pulling over to pick up children instead of racing by before the flashing lights come on? (Why? Because you never know what kids are going to do.)

What if we take turns at the circle on Killarney Way?

I know, I’m venting. Got to stop now.

But let’s buy a bunch more cameras.

You can send your comments by clicking the button below, e-mailing me at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, sending a private message on Tallahassee.com, Twitter @bgabordi, LinkedIn, Blogger.com or on my blog on Friendster.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.