In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–Alaska Studies Rural Speed Traps–
–Costs of Driving Down–
–Crosswalk Ticketing Cams Debut in France–
–FL House votes to ban RLCs—
Friday, January 19, 2018
Alaska Studies Whether Rural Speed Traps Reduce Crashes
It is often assumed that encouraging police to set up speed traps enhances road safety. A test conducted last year called this assumption into question. The Alaska Department of Transportation tapped a team of university researchers to come up with a methodology to evaluating whether heavy patrolling of Alaska’s rural highways produced a statistically significant reduction in collisions. The first look at one year’s worth of data failed to demonstrate a conclusive safety benefit.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Cost Of Driving Down, Except Tolls And Insurance
In recent years, automobile ownership has become more affordable, apart from a surge in the cost of toll roads, insurance and government fees. The US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics ran the numbers in a report released last week covering economic data related to the industry between 2015 and 2016.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
France Introduces Crosswalk Ticketing Cameras
France is dramatically expanding the scope of its automated ticketing with the announcement last week that cameras would mail tickets to cars photographed passing pedestrians in a crosswalk. The new technology is part of a broader effort by the government of Emmanuel Macron to crack down on motorists.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Florida House Votes To Ban Red-Light Cameras — Eventually
Florida’s red-light cameras would go dark on July 1, 2021, under legislation that passed the state House of Representatives on Friday. By a vote of 83 to 18, lawmakers decided that they would allow motorists to hand over another $680 million in citation revenue before finally pulling the plug on a program that state statistics show has not reduced the number of accidents at intersections.
Monday, January 15, 2018
Belgium, China, France, UK: Speed Cameras Thwarted
The speed camera on Stafford Road in Wolverhampton, England was set on fire last week. According to the Express and Star newspaper, the device was not in use at the time of the attack. In South Yorkshire, a man filmed himself using his car to block a speed camera from issuing tickets (view video on YouTube). After a brief confrontation, the driver of the camera van left. Australian motorists coordinate similar efforts on the Speed Camera Crusaders Facebook page.
