Originally Posted by nox1s
You could argue that, I would agree that it is a monumental revenue generator.
You could also argue that it IS for law enforcement. Whether the officer is going to write you a ticket or a machine (that might be more accurate who knows), the outcome is the same. You're going to get a ticket and chances are you will think twice when you see that yellow or red light.
If it's a machine that doesn't miss them, ever, you will probably never try to beat that light if you're at risk for a ticket (no cops no ticket days in the past)... so the LEO can go do better (productive?) things with their time, such as catching bad guys.
Sure it sucks when you get nailed, but laws are laws, they're just choosing to enforce them more strictly. It's not like they're creating an outrageous new law or anything.
While that may true. It is also true that many times they shorten the interval from green, yellow, to red. This is to maximize the likelihood that the light will be ran. This isn't done out of safety. It's revenue.
Did you know that the camera's are given to the city. The camera's provider get a cut of all the revenue received.
What happens when someone steals your car and runs every red light in town? The vehicle was ticketed, not you. Do you see a problem with there being no officer? Will you remember every light you went through the day you were ticketed, days or weeks after you receive the ticket. Will you remember petty details of that day? What will your defense be? Will the ticketing officer, IE, the camera be there as a witness to testify that there weren't circumstances to the light being ran? Camera's capture a moment in time, nothing else.