Not only is Doyle spending more money than the State ever spent before (after all, we're in recession)--but he's proposing even more Statist 'gimmes' for the locals.
Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal to allow enforcement of speed, red light and construction zone violations by installing cameras and mailing motorists tickets is drawing opposition.
Aaaah, yes. "Speed" cameras.
...Red-light running and speeding, the two main uses of traffic cameras, are implicated in fewer than 8% of accidents. A far more prevalent cause of nondrunken accidents is driver inattention -- one study estimated, in a typical case the driver's eyes are diverted from the road for a full three seconds or more, fidgeting with a cellphone, disciplining the kids in the back seat, snoozing, blotting up spilled coffee, etc.
EIGHT percent!!
So if NINETY-TWO percent of the causes of accidents remain un-monitored, what could Doylie's proposal be all about?
Revenue, actually. The machines make a lot of money, and the locals are going to be hurting for cash soon.
But there's more.
Britain has gone furthest in using cameras for comprehensive auto surveillance, and now says it's capable of monitoring every car trip in the U.K. and keeping a record for five years. Most traffic cameras are "on" all the time, and capable of being networked with plate- and even face-recognition software. In Britain, the data yielded will be incorporated in a database of all kinds of personal information and camera observations to enable "data mining" to let the government know who's doing what, when and where
War is peace.
Fortunately, a .22LR, competently aimed and fired, disables those cameras with only one round.
Gotta follow all the money. Which company is going to get the contract to sell, install and operate all these things? I'll bet it's one that's already given $$ to Doyle.
ReplyDeleteAnd good luck ever getting out of one of these tickets. It goes to the car's registered owner - not the actual driver. It's all about money.