Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
California: Report Finds Racial Bias In Traffic Tickets
Low-income and minority motorists are being targeted by California’s traffic ticket industry, a coalition of civil rights groups contended in a report earlier this month. The Back on the Road California coalition is pushing for reform of a system of escalating traffic fines, fees and license suspensions that perpetuates a cycle of poverty. From 2013 to 2014, 4.9 million traffic and parking tickets were issued statewide, with certain racial groups finding themselves stopped more often than others.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Scottsdale, Arizona Initially Ignored AG Opinion On Cameras
For nearly two weeks, Scottsdale, Arizona allowed its private vendor to issue over a hundred red-light camera and speed camera tickets in defiance of a ruling from the state attorney general. On March 16, Attorney General Mark Brnovich ruled that it is a class one misdemeanor for a photo ticketing company to provide evidence for use in a court of law unless it holds a private investigator license. Scottsdale’s camera vendor, American Traffic Solutions (ATS), is unlicensed. Unlike other cities that immediately suspended ticketing on March 16, Scottsdale officials held several conference calls with ATS to decide what to do.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Belgium, Ecuador, France, UK: Speed Cameras Disabled
Vigilantes in Quito, Ecuador shot a pair of speed cameras on Friday after having taken out a third device a few days earlier. According to Confirmado, the devices had been issuing tickets on Avenida Simon Bolivar.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Study: Most Red-Light Camera Tickets Should Be $0
Researchers from Auburn University earlier this year told the Transportation Research Board annual meeting that the vast majority of red-light camera tickets are issued for behavior that carries no risk. The team used real-world data from red-light camera intersections in Opelika, Alabama to model the likelihood of a crash for certain types of driving behavior. For more than nine out of ten photo ticket recipients, the group suggested the risk-based fine should be $0.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Illinois Supreme Court: Avoiding A Roadblock Is Suspicious
Motorists who do not want to be detained and interrogated at a police roadblock will be pulled over by police for “suspicious behavior” under a ruling handed down last month by the Illinois Supreme Court. In a 5 to 1 decision, the justices upheld the conviction of Jacob D. Timmsen, who had been pulled over on December 17, 2011 solely because he made a U-turn to avoid an Illinois State Police roadblock.
