Still Think Photo Radar Has Saved Lives?

Photo radar has been a huge issue in Arizona the last year and it's the one year mark this month since the state has expanded the cameras valley wide. Of course, the media has recently broadcast a piece explaining its usefulness. Despite the propaganda, it's been shown that speed cameras do not save lives and do not decrease accidents. It may seem that the cameras slow people down, but that's only because people slow down once they see the "Photo Enforcement Zone" sign that's [usually] placed several hundred feet before the mobile and fixed photo radar, and is supposed to be clearly visible. After they pass these redundant pieces of shit vans and fixed speed camera locations, it's off to the races again and every one resumes their previous speed - which is an average of 75 mph by the way (and rarely goes above this), which is not dangerous. It also seems that this 65 mph speed limit that pervades Arizona's highways is illegal.

On a related note, I've often wondered if some time in the future, as speed cameras become more and more numerous, the government will stop placing warnings before the cameras, and/or begin to hide them to catch drivers by surprise, so they are unable to slow down in time?

I personally think this "safety issue" is just a smoke screen for a state-wide surveillance system (and eventually country-wide), just as George W. Bush's war rhetoric about self-defense was actually a war based upon greed for oil.

But, I got slightly off track about my original topic. A recent and very unfortunate accident happened in Arizona late last month when three people died after colliding head-on with a school bus. The thing is this accident, which speed cameras are supposed to help reduce, was caught on video. Though there is also more to this story: It seems that several witnesses saw the car attempt to slow down for a speed camera van and collided with the school bus. So much for these cameras slowing people down, or stopping accidents. But this also harkens back to an issue that I wrote about concerning the government's obsession with punishment and the perpetrators of crime. Instead of proactive attempts at reducing crime, it's about punishing those who do commit crimes (and also leaves the victims with nothing), which obviously doesn't do much at all to stop the crime to begin with. This is what the cameras are all about (that and money). It's not about keeping with the rules and regulations of traffic and road experts (alluding to the above linked to article citing the 65 mph law as illegal), but with keeping the speed artificially low, so as to create more "criminals" to prosecute and generate revenue.

Here is a video of the unfortunate accident, and here is proof that the state is trying to cover up the fact that the camera caused the accident!