traffic camera Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

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

The post Don’t Forget To Stop For A Camera Light appeared first on Comedy Defensive Driving®.

Traffic Signals

Daun Thompson — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:42:53 +0000

Learn some traffic signals (lights) information! Traffic signals (lights) were first installed in 1868 in London, England. The English are always the first at everything. They’re always first at drinking you under the table, first at driving on the wrong side of the road (perhaps also due to drinking) and first at speaking English, of course.

Traffic signals alternate the right of way accorded to road users by displaying lights of a standard color (traffic light colors: red, yellow/amber, and green) following a universal color code. The traffic light color order is a red light above the green, with the yellow in between (that’s a catchy little rhyme). This is all very boring, isn’t it? But, something that you may find interesting is how so much consideration has been taken to accommodate color blind people. Apparently, traffic light order are also displayed in a precise sequence to enable comprehension by those who are color blind. In addition, usually the red light contains some orange in its hue, and the green light contains some blue, said to be for the benefit of people with red-green color blindness. A little more information that you may find intriguing, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, of all color blind people, 66% of them are men. I have always heard that all dogs are color blind. I have never claimed to be a math genius, but, according to my math, 2/3 of all men are dogs.

The universal colors for traffic lights are red (which means stop), green (which means proceed) and either solid yellow (prepare to stop) or flashing yellow (yield and proceed with caution). The latest traffic lights have countdown timers which were introduced in the 1990s. Timers are useful for drivers/pedestrians to plan if there is enough time to attempt to cross the intersection before the light turns red and the amount of time before the light turns green. Most traditional traffic lights used incandescent and halogen bulbs. But, because of their low efficiency and burnout rate, they have, for the most part, been replaced with LED lights. These use less power, last longer and have a brighter light output. Pretty, bright, colorful lights…just like the lights on top of the police car that pulls you over for not obeying the rules of traffic lights.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Comedienne / Writer / Artist

Traffic Signals – Comedy Defensive Driving

The post Traffic Signals appeared first on Comedy Defensive Driving®.

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

The post Camera tickets – Big Brother is always watching! appeared first on Comedy Defensive Driving®.