TV Cameras in our midst
David Alexander
can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin,
~1784
I disagree with Mr Franklin. I don't think it is a temporary safety.
Nor do I agree that it's an infringement of liberty. The cameras
are only triggered to take a 35mm stills image if you break the
law. If you obey the law, no picture, so where's the infringement
?
In the US, we are supposed to be presumed innocent until found
guilty. And its the governments job to prove one guilty of a
crime. "Robocops" that catch speeders and red light runners
pervert this to the owner of the vehicle is guilty unless they
can prove they weren't the driver.
Nor should we just trust the camera. The radar used to jusdge
speed is not fundemantaly different than the radar used to warn
drivers of their speed through construction zones. And I've
seen some of those that were off by almost 20mph. An amount
almost enough to qualify one for reckless driving in many
locations.
These units use lasers to check speed, and they are frequently
checked and recalibrated.
If you can prove that you were not driving the car, then you
are OK. The easiest way is if you can tell them who was, and
if you don't know who was driving your car I strongly suggest
you have insufficient control over the keys to it.
So, you think I should defend myself by finking out a close
friend or a relative. Again - its not my job to prove my
innocence, but the courts to prove I was guilty.
So it's OK for someone to break the law if they are a relative.
What if your brother killed your wife, or your wife killed your
parents. Is that still OK ? Pop quiz, what do you do ?
1. nothing
2. kill them yourself in revenge
3. turn them in
My thoughts are that if someone, relative or not, is driving like
an idiot then they endanger me, my wife and children and my friends,
not to mention all the other road users and pedestrians. I would
want that menace dealt with. If everyone felt it was someone elses'
problem we'd all be in trouble. Sometimes you have to take a stand,
make the tough choice, to do otherwise is moral cowardice and can
lead to the death of nations.
We have cameras for red lights and for speeding on roads across
the UK. No-one really likes them, but that's because they
work, d*mmit. You have to slow down. They reduce accidents
significantly and save lives.
Again, you are trying to justify increasing govt. power at the
expense of personal liberty. In the long term you end up with
neither.
see my point about stills images above.
As you might guess, I disagree. As an aside, the only communities
I've seen stats regarding the efffectiveness of robocop have
had decreases in fatal accidents per capita. By a strange
co-incidence, these communities also initiated biking and
walking campaigns which take many people (including me) out of
the car for most errands. Even in 110+ heat.
We have statistics going back several years now. The areas where
they have been most effective is on busy main roads with high volume
traffic. The number of accidents, injuries and fatalities has fallen
significantly. Taking a bus or a bike isn't a practical alternative
in these cases. We aren't talking about 'local roads'.
--
David Alexander
Camberley, England
Founder member, European Top Alcohol Racers Association
http://home.rednet.co.uk/homepages/dave_ale/dave_ale.html
I have an alcohol problem...I can't burn enough of it !!!