red light camera Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

Intersections

Daun Thompson — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:41:34 +0000

Intersections are tricky. And now, with camera lights in some of those intersections, they’re even trickier. It’s good to know a little more about the workings of intersection driving rules so that you can avoid a crash and perhaps avoid traffic violations as well. What you may not know about intersections may hurt you. So here’s a little refresher course on intersectionality (not really…it’s about intersections…I just like to use new geek words).
In any freshly painted intersection there will be a solid white line painted on the pavement by the city to separate each lane of traffic. This line will begin exactly 100 feet before the crosswalk line. Their purpose for being there is because it is against the law to change lanes 100 feet before the crosswalk of an intersection. It is also against the law to change lanes within the intersection, and up to 100 feet after the intersection ends. There is enough going on in that intersection that you should be doing nothing other than simply passing through it. Especially now with camera lights, people who have gotten those bills in the mail are likely wary of getting another, so they goose it to get through the yellow/red light. Causing even higher impact crashes. Or people stop at a yellow light. So you really have to pay attention when approaching an intersection.
Have you ever really needed to take a right turn on red (in Texas this is legal) and there is a car in front of you, not turning but blocking your lane? They’re just sitting there like a lump and you’re dying to take a right on red? So you cut through the gas station on the corner so you don’t have to wait for the light to turn green? In Texas, that is well over a $300 moving violation. But, I hear if you come to a complete stop when cutting through, and put your car in park, then look up at the gas station sign and say “Dang! That gas is pricey!” Maybe even get out of your car and act it out, waving your arms like a lunatic, then put your car in drive, you won’t get a ticket. Or, maybe you will get one for bad acting. But, really, after all of that, you maybe would have been better off to just wait behind the lump until the light turned green. And furthermore, the reason that person is not taking a right on red is likely because they have business to take care of on the opposite corner of that intersection. Maybe there’s a bank or a gas station they are going to. Even if it were legal for them to change lanes within the intersection, no one would let them over in that short distance. So cut them some slack. But, if they don’t turn into the bank or gas station on the other side of that intersection and they continue on past it, you can follow them and beat them up (nah…just kidding…that’s my own law).
When the light turns green, always look both ways to make sure someone isn’t running the red light. If there is a vehicle blocking your view, let them go first. They won’t go if they can see that someone is running the light. And, if you have a tall truck in front of you, hang back while they ease through the intersection. They have to shift gears and move slowly. If you are directly behind them, you can’t see when the overhead hanging light turns yellow and then red. And then there you are, running a red light.
Always use caution in intersections. They are said to be the most dangerous crash zones.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Intersections – Comedy Defensive Driving

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WHAT IS A CALIFORNIA ROLL IN DRIVING?

Daun Thompson — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 05:14:31 +0000

No Cop, no stop. That seems to be the trend these days. Rolling through a stop sign or rolling through a red light to take a right turn is also referred to as a California rolling stop or a California roll. Coincidentally, that’s my favorite Sushi. Drivers Education instructors teach new drivers to count three seconds before leaving a stop sign or taking a right turn at a red light. Although the law does not require that you stop for a certain amount of time, the law requires that your car settles. But three seconds will insure that your car has settled and will keep you from getting a citation. Some instructors teach students to count five seconds. But I believe three seconds is adequate. If you make someone behind you wait for an extra two seconds, you’re the Devil. At the very least, they may honk at you, hoping to wake you from your slumber. Or, thinking you may be finishing up a text message, they may twist on you and ignite a road rage fueled gun battle. And people do pull guns on each other over trivial things such as this. Now with new concealed carry laws, nearly everyone will be carrying a gun. Maybe we’ll even start seeing gun racks with rifles in the back window of pick-up trucks again, just like back in the 70’s. Not in all states, though. No such gun laws exist in California. So, perhaps in Northern California, we’ll start seeing wine racks in the back window of pick-up trucks. It’s just a thought…
Typically, citizens who get a camera light bill in the mail from a photo-enforced intersection, aren’t blowing through a red light. They are usually taking a right turn on red and rolling through the red light. So, teaching new drivers to count three seconds to make certain their car has settled has certainly saved them from getting cited for a California roll through a stop sign, having their insurance rates increase due to those citations, and possibly even preventing them from causing a crash.
So, don’t forget, even if there is no Cop, you still need to come to a complete stop. It will, at the end of the day, save you money, and grief and maybe even save your life.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Rolling Stop – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Don’t Forget To Stop For A Camera Light

Daun Thompson — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 17:43:42 +0000

2014 started out with a bang. I received my first camera light ticket. In Dallas, they send you a bill with a photo of your vehicle and the license plate number and it is a $75 fine. There is also a link to their website where you can watch a video of the incident. I watched it 378 times, thinking I can’t believe I would have done this. And, the thing is, it may not have been me. It could have been someone else driving the car. I’ve loaned it to my daughter and my sister. I looked at my calendar to see where I was on that date and time in question to see if it truly was me who ran the light. The thing is, it doesn’t matter who was driving. It’s whomever the car is registered to that receives and is responsible for paying the fine. So, I just paid it. $75 is much less expensive than the whopping $378 fine that would have been issued by a police officer in Dallas. Typically, when someone gets a camera light ticket, they’re not blowing through a red light. Usually, they’re taking a right on red. They look to the left, there is no traffic coming, it’s safe, they “yielded,” but they didn’t come to a complete stop before turning. In order for your car to come to a complete stop, your car has to “settle.” They teach drivers education students now to stop for three seconds before taking a right on red, or stopping at a stop sign. Texas law does not require that you have to stop for a certain amount of “time,” but states that your car has to “settle.” Three seconds will ensure that your car has settled, though, so it’s not a bad habit to get into. So, don’t forget to stop for a camera light.

All that I know for certain about a camera light ticket is that it is a civil offense. Like a parking ticket, it will not go on your driving record. I have heard rumors that it will put a kibosh (that’s my favorite word for 2014) on your ability to renew your driver license if you don’t pay it. Of course, that can’t be true since it has nothing to due with your driver license. The fine is issued through your license plate number, which is your automobile registration. So, it is true that it will put a kibosh (there’s that word again) on your ability to get your annual registration renewed. Also, if you don’t pay the fine, it will go on your credit report, like not paying a bill. I do believe that much is true as I have two friends that work for a credit reporting bureau and they have said that they see camera light tickets on people’s credit reports quite often.

So, here’s the kicker…I’ve had several people in my comedy defensive driving class that have told me their insurance agent phoned them to let them know that their insurance rates have gone up because of their camera light ticket. I’m sure that insurance agencies keep tabs on their customer’s driving record to adjust insurance rates, but hadn’t even considered that agencies are also pulling credit reports as well. It was really baffling me…how do they know? So, that must be it. People aren’t paying their camera light tickets (both those they get at intersections where camera lights are present, i.e. photo enforced, and the camera tickets that are issued when passing a school bus when the red lights are flashing, i.e overtaking a school bus). In Texas, by the way, the fine for a camera light ticket is $75. And, if you don’t pay it, the late fee is $25. The fine for overtaking a school bus is $325. Which is much less expensive than the fine from someone in law enforcement (i.e. Johnny Law), which, as of September 1, in Texas, is a whopping $1,250.

So, if you get a camera light ticket or a school bus camera ticket, either pay the ticket or dispute it if you feel it is unjust. Don’t blow it off and let it go on your credit report. Just a little money saving tip from me to you for the new year.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist / Idea Mogul

Don’t Forget To Stop For A Camera Light – Comedy Defensive Driving

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SIGNS, SIGNALS AND MARKINGS – SAFETY IS KNOWLEDGE / KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Daun Thompson — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:18:43 +0000

There are many “universal” signs. For example, the peace sign is known world-wide. And, least we forget the infamous finger (which is one half of the peace sign), the shape of a stop sign (octagon), the colors red (stop), yellow (yield/caution) and green (go/proceed). While safety is knowledge, knowledge is power and that knowledge may save your life one day. Most people think a solid yellow light means “speed up.” And, if there is a camera light in that particular intersection, you certainly don’t want to be in that “Kodak moment”, so most people speed up to get through the light before it turns red. Doing this so they don’t get a camera light fine or a citation from a police officer. Not realizing that speeding up results in higher impact collisions at intersections. And what does a flashing yellow light mean to you? I’m sure your answer is “Not much.” But, what it really means is slow down and proceed with caution.

Traffic Signs, Signals, and Markings Explained | Comedy Defensive Driving

The Hunger Games’ Tim Taylor and Ralph Goin from Ma’s Roadhouse perform this funny sketch about traffic signs, signals, and markings. Visit and subscribe to our social sites for more fun and interesting information. Website – http://www.comedydefensivedriving.com FB – https://www.facebook.com/comedydefensivedrivingschool Twitter – @comedydriving Google+ – Comedy Defensive Driving Pinterest — http://www.pinterest.com/comedydefensive/ Yelp – http://www.yelp.com/biz/comedy-defensive-driving-dallas-2 All material in this video is the Copyright of Comedy Defensive Driving School. ® is the Federally Registered Trademark of IDT, Inc. All rights reserved 1989-2013

And, thank God for the invention of lane markings in 1911. Before that, there were noted to have been a lot of head-on horse and donkey collisions. Resulting in what we commonly know as the “mule”, which is the result of a female horse mating with a male donkey…also known as the first “hybrid” mode of transportation. And you thought Porsche was the first hybrid, didn’t you? Painted markings on the road are meant to keep you on the straight and narrow. For example, yellow lines separate traffic going opposite directions, while white broken lines separate lanes going the same direction. And, while a solid white line means that it is a risky area and you should not change lanes across a solid white line, if it is double white line on a two-lane road, you can only pass when the line on your side of the double line becomes a broken line. By the way, when passing another vehicle, they call that “to overtake it.” Sounds like a Nazi control issue to me. And, you can certainly get a ticket for crossing over a double solid white line. Just like you can certainly get a ticket for giving a cop the finger. While safety is knowledge, knowledge is power and that knowledge may save you money some day. Money is fines, damages and hospital bills.

Until next week…pay attention…obey the law…use that knowledge.

Daun Thompson, Comedienne/Artist/Idea Mogul
Safety Is Knowledge And Knowledge Is Power – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Camera tickets – Big Brother is always watching!

Lisa — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:11:18 +0000

I’ve had a few students in Defensive Driving that have received red light camera tickets and speeding tickets by camera in Arizona. Do you think red light cameras are a good thing? Some people do and others don’t, the ones who don’t are usually the ones who think the yellow light means “SPEED UP!!” But come on, what’s next?? What if the municipal, state or federal government wanting to install cameras in our vehicles just to make sure we are not doing anything illegal. OK, I know that’s not even in the same ball park, but what if??

Back in 2007, Richland Hills, Texas shorten the yellow light time from 3.5 seconds to 3 seconds at one of their intersections that has a red light camera. In June of 2007 the intersection at Booth Calloway Road and Glennview Drive had 1,440 citations for running the red light. In July, they had 1,911 and in the month of August – 1,387. After the local Fox 4 news ran the story, the city changed it to 3.6 seconds, guess how many citations they had in September…….321. Redflex, the company who makes these cameras and the 35 cities in Texas who use them are making a killing! Who scratches who’s back??

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for what ever makes the roads safer. Maybe it’s supply and demand, if we weren’t running the red lights, there wouldn’t be a need for the cameras. Do your part, no more running red lights! Next time you go through an intersection or the light turns green, look both ways….it just might save your life! Let me know what you think.

Until next week, be safe and take care.

Danny Keaton

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