New GPS spots speed cameras (as well as red light cameras)

I’d like to introduce you to GPS Angel – a new GPS-based red light camera and speed camera detector available now in the United States.
GPS Angel’s technology has been available in the United Kingdom and Europe for the past several years and has sold over 500K units.

Product Features
* Accurately detects red light cameras, speed cameras and other photo radar
* Visual and audible alarms provide clear advanced warnings to hidden cameras
* Contains an on-board national camera database of thousands of known red light camera and speed camera locations
* Includes free unlimited camera database updates - a $100 value per year compared to other camera detectors
* No installation required - place it on dashboard and plug into cigarette lighter

GPS Angel is $129 and includes free updates to the camera database - which makes it the most affordable GPS photo radar detector on the market.

Another way drivers are getting out of speed camera tickets

We have heard from a verified, reputable source that if the photo mailed to you doesn't look like you or is not obviously recognizable as you, you don't need to check any of the boxes indicating that it's you or isn't you. Instead, just write on the back of the form "driver is unidentifiable" and mail it back in, and the ticket will be dismissed.

Ballot initiative coming to ban ALL speed cameras in the state

Never mind the wimpy initiative that would just increase the speed the cameras take photos at by 10 mph, which is probably put out by the pro-speed camera lobby. We've found out that an initiative is in the works to completely ban all speed cameras everywhere. They are completely banned in Texas. Do not know if it would ban red light cameras or city-run cameras.

Another new site: Photo Radar Scam

Yet another site has popped up exposing photo speed cameras. Hat tip to CameraFraud.com for noting it.

Maryland teenagers using speed cameras for reveng on teachers, others

Thanks to JD Hayworth for discussing this today on his show.

High school students in Maryland are using speed cameras to get back at their perceived enemies, and even teachers. The students duplicate the victim's license plate on glossy paper using a laser printer, tape it over their own plate, then speed past a newly installed speed camera. The victim gets a $40 ticket in the mail days later, without any humans ever having been involved in the ticketing process. More

10% of your speed camera fine goes to Clean Elections

In case you didn't know, 10% of the fine from a speed camera ticket goes to fund politicians running for office! It's not even going to reduce the deficit. A.R.S. 16-954 addresses funding for Clean Elections, and states in part,

C. Beginning January 1, 1999, an additional surcharge of ten percent shall
be imposed on all civil and criminal fines and penalties collected pursuant to
section 12-116.01 and shall be deposited into the fund.

This is yet another reason why speed cameras are a bad idea. The money isn't going to be used to pay off government debt, but will instead be used to perpetuate bad government programs - things the government has no business doing.

Good article by local blogger in the Republic on speed cameras

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/2008/12/07/20081207tuccille07POV.html

How to REALLY avoid getting speed camera tickets (sorry, New Times)

The Phoenix New Times recently reminded readers of their guide to beating speed camera tickets. Their advice? Ignore any tickets, since you were never properly notified or served. While this sounds good in theory, it doesn't quite work. If you EVER get called into court again, say to appeal another speeding ticket, that camera ticket you ignored will show up, and you'd better believe the judge and clerk will see it and they will not be sympathetic. If you have to pay a fine for your second speeding ticket, they'll get you to pay up on the first ticket too. This has happened to several friends of mine who thought they were clever avoiding the process server who came to their doors to serve them with papers (they just drop the papers and leave if you don't answer, which isn't legally enough to "serve" someone).

So, what DOES work? There is one proven way, but steps have to be taken in advance. Not only has this been documented in the Arizona Republic as successfully working, but I have friends who have used this ruse. Swap registration of your car with someone of the opposite gender, like your spouse. When you get the ticket in the mail with the photo, you just mail it back in and say it wasn't you, sorry, wrong gender.

This might not work so well if the picture is blurry, but if they can't tell that it's you, that's considered good enough to get out of it.

We predict that swapping registrations with a spouse or friend is going to dramatically increase as people catch on. Can you imagine how much money is going to be wasted on tickets that just get dismissed for this reason? Speed cameras are a BAD idea and Arizona needs to follow the lead of other jurisdictions around the country (including our own Pinal County) and repeal them.

Unfortunately, we just heard that incoming governor Jan Brewer's transition team includes Jay Heiler, who was working for Redflex, the speed camera company. Let's hope this does not affect Brewer as she mulls over eliminating Arizona's police state of speed cameras.

New LEGAL license plate cover that blocks speed cameras

Heard this ad on KFYI 550 today from stopphotoradar.com (turns into loover.com) Their $9.99 plate cover claims to block only speed cameras, not actual law enforcement from seeing your plate. According to the site,

The Loover physically blocks the view so cameras CAN NOT see the plate from an elevated position. However, the police driving behind someone has an un-obstructed view from all sides of a vehicle. So people are not blocking their plate from law enforcement, in fact most people will not even notice it is on someone's car.

Latest articles from TheNewspaper.com

Sticky Situation for Arizona Speed Cameras

Arizona Activists Zoom in on Speed Camera Van

Arizona: Cops Arrest Man at Anti-Camera Demonstration

CameraFraud.com launched to defeat speed cameras

There is a new website dedicated to getting rid of Napolitano's speed cameras in Arizona, CameraFraud.com. They held a demonstration and have a map on their website locating the speed cameras. Republican Party chairman Randy Pullen is quoted as saying, “We need to take (the cameras) all down and put them on the border facing Mexico,” responded Pullen to a question asking the Republican Party’s official stance on photo enforcement." Thanks to the website, the cameras are now getting noticed by the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix New Times.

Drivers putting stickie notes over speed cameras

Arizona's ambitious statewide speed camera program faces increasing resistance both from the public and from state and local officials. At least half a dozen speed cameras have been temporarily taken out of service by ordinary citizens using nothing more Post-It Notes and silly string.......

The Post-It Notes refer to a July incident where Redflex angered the office of Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R) which had been investigating a citizen's complaint against the company. According to Brewer's office, a Redflex employee "wrote a short response to the complaint on a post it note," making light of an official inquiry into the company's falsification of legal documents (view Brewer response)......

Napolitano's lobbying effort was the only thing stopping state Senate lawmakers from putting the question of photo radar before voters as a ballot initiative....

Lawmakers have also noticed that voters sent a strong message against the speed camera program by electing Paul Babeu as Pinal County Sheriff. Babeau's campaign signs bore the message "End Photo Radar." Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen on Wednesday called for the removal of cameras.

Read the rest of the article at TheNewspaper.com

Coming soon....how the legislators vote on speed cameras

We're going to do a post soon on how state legislators voted on speed camera legislation, and we'll be watching them in the future. It wasn't just Democrats who voted for the speed cameras, there were plenty of Republicans who crossed sides and voted for this fascist enforcement of a civil law.

Deluge of couples registering cars in each others' names

There is one proven way to get out of speed camera tickets, and that's if you can show the driver wasn't you. One of the local newspapers recently reported that couples are successfully getting out of tickets by driving each others' cars, and indicating that the person in the picture can't possibly be them - it doesn't look like them and it's the wrong gender.

Because of this, getting out of speed camera tickets favors married couples, who have the easy option of swapping car registrations. Doesn't sound like due process to me. Whereas if a police officer had pulled the car over, he would have been able to determine that the person driving was in fact the right gender and matched their driver's license picture and name.

There may also be fraud going on, if each spouse has no intention of driving the other's car yet registers it in their name. These speed cameras have now spawned an entirely new area of possibly criminal activity - all in order just to overpunish civil traffic laws.

I-17 now feels like the midst of a police state

There are currently THREE speed cameras on the I-17 going north between the I-10 and 101. One is a movable speed van (which your radar detector should pick up) right around the I-10 exit on the right side. The second speed camera is a newly installed pair of white cameras on the right side just south of the Greenway exit. The third speed camera is another newly installed pair of white cameras on the right side just south of the Union Hills/Yorkshire exit.

The movable speed van was located in a dangerous place, since there was a 45 mph speed sign in that area due to construction (although no lanes were obstructed). Were you supposed to slow down to the 45 mph? Very, very dangerous, we see plenty of lawsuits ahead. A few million dollar accident verdicts against the state and it will completely negate the extra revenues brought in from the speed cameras.

The third speed camera is located where there are signs saying 45 mph due to construction (although no lanes were obstructed), again, are you supposed to slow down to 45 mph, and if so, that is extremely dangerous considering the speed limit is normally 65 mph and there is no visible reason why drivers should be going only 45 mph. Slamming on your brakes to get down to 45 mph is going to cause plenty of accidents.

New governor Jan Brewer should remove the speed cameras

We're hoping when Secretary of State Jan Brewer replaces Napolitano as governor, she will remove all of the speed cameras. Brewer has an outstanding reputation as a cost-cutter going back to her days on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, so no doubt recognizes that these cameras are nothing more than a revenue generator for increasing the size of big government. And what a great legacy that would be for Brewer, removing all of Nappy's speed cameras. Go Brewer!

Weekend freeway closures for speed camera installations

The following closures are for camera installation this weekend:

A Northbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) closed between Glendale and Northern avenues. 11 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday
(November 1)

B Southbound 1-17 closed between the I-10 “Stack” and 24th Street. 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday
(November 1)

C Eastbound I-10 closed between 59th and 19th avenues. 10 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday
(November 2)

For additional information on current Weekend Closures & Restrictions, check out the News Release http://www.azdot.gov/ccpartnerships/news/NRel2208.asp

Somewhat complete list of stationary speed camera locations in Phoenix area

Thanks to Alan Korwin.

The first nine were live by October 22nd (noted with asterisks below). The
other locations are coming soon. I don't have the entire list, these are
mostly Phoenix metro, but the whole state will get these "Big Brother Is
DEFINITELY Watching You" devices. Arizona is getting 60 stationary and
40 mobile cameras for now. A ticket for 10 miles over the speed limit will
cost you $181, a lot of money according to experts.

Interstate 10

**Eastbound, I-10, 287th Ave.
**Eastbound, I-10, Miller
**Eastbound, I-10, Watson
Westbound, I-10, 91st Ave
East & West, I-10, 75th Ave
East & West, I-10, 59th Ave
Eastbound, I-10, 35th Ave
Eastbound, I-10, 43rd Ave
Eastbound, I-10, 27th Ave
East & West, I-10, 15th Ave
Eastbound, I-10, 16th Street
Westbound, I-10, Buckeye
Westbound, I-10, 24th Street
Westbound, I-10, 40th Street


US 60

Westbound, US-60, Alma School
Westbound, US-60, Mesa Drive
Westbound, US-60, Gilbert Road


Interstate - 17

Southbound, I-17, 15th Ave
Southbound, I-17, 12th Street
Northbound, I-17, Thunderbird
Northbound, I-17, Bell Road


State Route - 51

Southbound, SR-51, Thomas Road
Southbound, SR-51, Highland Pkwy.
Southbound, SR-51, Bethany Home Rd.


State Route - 101

**Southbound, SR-101, McDowell Rd
**Southbound, SR-101, Indian School
**Southbound, SR-101, Bethany Home
North & South, SR-101, Glendale Ave.
Southbound, SR-101, Olive
** Eastbound, SR-101, 75th Ave
** Eastbound, SR-101, 59th Ave
** Eastbound, SR-101, 35th Ave

Alan Korwin's thoughts on speed cameras

A connection to gun rights is slim but present:

Drive slow or pay. DPS is rolling out 100 speed-tax cameras throughout the
state.

Arizona is getting 60 stationary and 40 mobile cameras for now. A ticket
for 10 miles over the speed limit will cost you $181, a lot of money
according to experts. The whole nation is watching Arizona to see how it
goes, before installing these moneymakers themselves. Tell your relatives.

If your speed is well in excess of the limit a criminal penalty may apply
(typically a low-level misdemeanor). "Well in excess" differs depending on
the road type and posted limit. In extreme or unusual cases, police may
(with or without proper authority) seek to search your vehicle, and if
firearms are present, have been known to use discretion in "taking custody"
of them.

In other words, permanent, always on, plentiful speed cameras now pose a
small threat to your right to keep and bear arms, for traveling too fast.

This tiny problem will not matter if the entire federal government falls
into the hands of anti-gun-rights Democrats on Tuesday. The plans for gun
bans I've been hearing from reliable sources are absolutely monstrous. Hard
news coming when I have it -- like if and when the actual bills are
introduced (before extremely rapid passage).


Now that the freedom to go a little faster is being computerized out of existence:

Government tax revenues are set to increase --
(they call it a fine but if government ends up with your money it's tax, a
"speed tax." The state expects to get $2.5 million PER WEEK from the
driving public according to one report);

Insurance rates will increase (the companies don't mind);

Productivity is bound to drop;

You'll be late more often (or get less done on a day);

Comfort while driving will be diminished (that pit-of-stomach terror when
a cop appears in the rear-view mirror is now replaced by the cold hard
mechanical eye of Big Brother on the roadside).

The biggest long-range problem I see is that computer-traffic-enforcement
makes sense, in a kind of way. Enforcement of the law is now air-tight,
mandatory and unavoidable, who could argue with that? So what if your
constitutional right to confront your accuser is erased?

The freedom to evade minor or nuisance laws is cleanly eliminated. With
that logic in place, how long before your grocery bill is connected to your
health-insurance premium? Beer, liquor, red meat, salt, refined sugar, ice
cream, fast food, junk food, bacon, why let a person get away with any
behavior that has an impact on, well, anything? Why would an honest person
object? Why indeed...


PROTESTS

The public and politicians are beginning to protest the plans, on all
sorts of grounds. The idea of a foreign-owned company (Redflex is based in
Australia with offices around the world) placing cameras all over the
country is enough to raise nearly anyone's concern, aside from the
totalitarian nature of the cameras themselves. They say they're for speed
but their complete capabilities have not been divulged. For more details,
including some of the fraudulent and potentially criminal activities of
authorities involved in the schemes, try this website:
http://camerafraud.com

Drivers now slamming on their brakes when they see white DPS traffic help trucks

This is ridiculous. I was driving on the I-17 and saw several cars brake hard when they passed one of those white DPS motor helper trucks - obviously confusing it with a movable speed camera van (even I thought it was one until I was passing it). It was stopped along a stretch of the I-17 around where the speed limit changes from 65 to 55, so it was obvious the cars were confused about what speed they were going and were trying to slow down to close to 55 - even though everyone was driving close to 75mph.

This is getting more and more dangerous. How long will it be until we have the first multi-car pileup on our highways? I predict 6 months at most at this point, realistically, 2-3 months, because the cameras are now everywhere.

AZ state laws require that speed be "reasonable and prudent." A sign saying 55mph or 65mph is not required, it's suggested. That's why when police officers pull you over, they have discretion whether or not to give you a ticket, depending on whether your speed was "reasonable and prudent" under the circumstances. If a pack of cars is peaceably going 65mph in a 55mph zone, they are driving "reasonably and prudently" under the circumstances and no police officer is going to pull them over.

But with the presence of speed cameras everywhere, it's no longer possible for a group of cars to drive "reasonably and prudently." Those of us who are aware of the speed cameras are now hovering over our steering wheels at 55mph, or even 45mph when we're confused about the speed due to construction. We have now become a liability to the other drivers on the road. I was driving on some stretches of freeway yesterday I hadn't been on in awhile, and drivers were racing past me, obviously much more familiar with the road and the position of speed cameras.

I look forward, sadly, to doing a study in a couple of years of how many more accidents and fatalities occur because of Napolitano setting up speed cameras all over our beautiful state. I'd like to see what she says to the families of victims who will lose their lives due to someone slamming on the brakes to avoid a speed camera, or due to a drunken driver because there are no longer many cops on the road.