gpsman
They cause rear end collisions because they are used for revenue generation rather than to promote safety. I thought that that was clearly stated already.
And that's good. That is actually a positive and healthy atbreastude towards driving.
I don't get some peopleI'm driving home from J-ville this evening on 95 NB. Traffic is light (well, light for Interstate 95) and I am approaching this minivan with WV plates. I'm doing...
And that's not so good, for you at least. The whole point that I and others were making was that one could be driving perfectly safely and still get caught by one of these infernal devices. Heck, I KNOW that I was flashed at an intersection where I was at a complete stop; fortunately I was driving my girlfriend's car which didn't have a front plate. (she didn't want to mount it because there was no factory provision for it; apparently she is counting on charm to save her if a cop decides to make a big deal out of it. My cars all run front plates because I know that my luck isn't that good and I'm not good looking enough to make an impression on your average cop.) Honestly, even though you and I disagree on this issue, I hope that you never get one of these tickets, because if you drive as you say you do, it wouldn't be fair.. However, you might change your opinion if you ever do, and your protests to the contrary, if you drive in, say, Washington, DC it's entirely possible that you might someday.
Maybe the guy slamming on his brakes is someone who's down on their luck, and just simply can't possibly afford to pay a fine? Or someone who is driving a company vehicle, and if they get a ticket there will be more ramifications than just a simple fine?
It's not how *long* the yellow is, it's how *short* it is. If you are approaching a light at, say, 40 MPH, there's a point at which once you pbutt it you are no longer comfortable stopping for the light. You know, from experience, that a yellow light usually lasts a couple seconds, and you just don't want to run the risk of skidding, and as a good, safe driver you make the decision that once you're past that point, if the light turns yellow you will just proceed through the intersection at a constant speed with faith that the light will not turn red until you are fully into the intersection - and likely past it.
NOW... let's say that the yellow light only lasts a second and a half. SMILE! you're on candid camera, and the cops have a picture of your smiling face as your car is halfway across the crosswalk and the red light is bringing out the highlights in your hair. And, of course, you get to make a contribution to your local constabulary.
You're just not getting it. RLC's combined with short yellows only "work" when everyone knows what's going on. People unfamiliar with the intersection will expect the lead driver to proceed through under the conditions I've described above, and thus will be slow to react to the lead driver's heavy braking. Sometimes it works out OK. Sometimes it does not. Everyone loses.
nate
