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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday February 20 2020, @09:34PM   Printer-friendly
from the gotta-fine-them-all dept.

WJLA reports: Washington D.C. issued a record $1 billion in traffic and parking tickets in three years

D.C. has long been considered one of the most onerous places in the country for traffic fines, seeing a steady climb year to year in tickets issued and revenue generated. But recently the District broke into stunning new territory, issuing more than $1 billion in tickets in just three years. [...] We asked the District to show us its evidence that D.C.'s cameras, and the high fines, translate to fewer accidents, fewer injuries and fewer deaths. The District told us it hasn't done any studies.
Yet the fines keep increasing, generating more money than alcohol, cigarette, motor vehicle, fuel and estate taxes and all revenue from licenses and permits, and personal property taxes combined.

I don't know another local jurisdiction in the entire nation that has generated as much money from traffic tickets, parking tickets and moving violations," said John Townsend, Public Relations Manager of AAA Mid-Atlantic. "That tells us that things are out of control and out of hand in the District of Columbia."
"No one really believes this is about traffic safety any longer," said Townsend, "which is the reason we're withdrawing support for the automated enforcement program in the District."

That means AAA is likely to declare Washington, D.C. a "traffic trap" (or speed trap as it is commonly referred to) to its 60 million members. In 2005 AAA declared D.C. a "strict enforcement zone," one step below the "traffic trap" designation.

The AAA is the American Automobile Association, also frequently called "Triple A," known for its roadside assistance and other motorist related programs.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Friday February 21 2020, @02:01AM (4 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday February 21 2020, @02:01AM (#960554)

    The arguments are old and well worn: short yellow cycles, abrupt stops from those who know about the cameras, wildy different behavior from those who don't...

    The administration of traffic light cameras reminds me of private for profit prisons, the people who operate them day to day have zero incentive to do anything but maximize profit. I'm sure they've published lots of studies that make themselves look good, both directly and indirectly.

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  • (Score: 2) by Booga1 on Friday February 21 2020, @02:20AM (1 child)

    by Booga1 (6333) on Friday February 21 2020, @02:20AM (#960561)

    Surprisingly, that is not what they've done with studies at all, at least not directly.

    We asked the District to show us its evidence that D.C.'s cameras, and the high fines, translate to fewer accidents, fewer injuries and fewer deaths. The District told us it hasn't done any studies.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday February 21 2020, @02:59AM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday February 21 2020, @02:59AM (#960570)

      Oh, that's not surprising for D.C. - not at all.

      I'm referring to the red-light camera, and traffic law enforcement camera industry in general. It's not hard at all to recruit PhDs to do "studies" for you, and even when the conflict of interest is stated clearly and above board, most people still don't factor it in - they're just looking for anything that backs up their existing viewpoint.

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  • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Friday February 21 2020, @06:46PM (1 child)

    by nitehawk214 (1304) on Friday February 21 2020, @06:46PM (#960776)

    Oh, and if you are against the cameras or the tightening of the rules to make them issue more tickets... you are soft on crime.

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    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday February 21 2020, @07:01PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday February 21 2020, @07:01PM (#960789)

      Oh, and if you are against the cameras or the tightening of the rules to make them issue more tickets... you are soft on crime.

      And... you don't care about safety: babies on board, gruesome death on the highway, struck down in the prime of life, etc.

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