In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–NY Court upholds license plate scanning–
–Ticket Nightmare continues in PA for one motorist–
–Car seats, seat belt laws do not save children–
Friday, May 26, 2017
New York High Court Upholds License Plate Scanning
Throughout New York state, police agencies have for years been using automated license plate readers (ALPR, also known as ANPR in Europe) without the sanction of the legislature or the courts. Earlier this month, the New York Court of Appeals — the state’s highest court — took up the question for the first time and sided with the use of plates to track members of the public, even if they are not suspected of committing any crime.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Pennsylvania Appellate Court Revives Administrative Ticket Nightmare
A simple speeding ticket kicked off a four year legal ordeal for Connor Robert Vance. When the young Pennsylvania motorist tried to pay it, nobody would tell him where to send the check because the court with jurisdiction had shut down. Clerks gave an endless series of conflicting and circular advice on what to do. Meanwhile, the state had suspended his license.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Study Finds Car Seat, Seat Belt Laws Do Not Save Children
Laws promoting the use of seat belts and car seats for children have no significant effect on child traffic accident fatalities, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center attempted to identify the state-level public policies that had a statistically significant impact on the 18,116 fatal road accidents involving children under the age of fifteen.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Motorists Sue Over Washington Traffic Camera Secrecy
Motorists are looking to take down the photo ticketing system in Lynnwood, Washington by proving the city is violating state law. US District Court Judge Richard A. Jones earlier this month said he would first decide whether the case should be heard as a class action based on filings due by October. Attorney Jay Carlson wants refunds for the tens of thousands of vehicle owners who received a $124 ticket in the mail from one of the twelve red-light cameras and four speed cameras operated by American Traffic Solutions (ATS).
Monday, May 22, 2017
Iowa, France, Germany: Speed Cameras Ignite, Implode
In Pas-de-Calais, France, vigilantes crushed a mobile speed camera on Thursday. According to La Voix du Nord, the automated ticketing machine was operating on the RD939 before it was turned into a twisted metal wreck. In Marsannay-le-Bois, vigilantes took out the speed camera on the RD974 with yellow spraypaint last week Monday, Le Bien Public reported. In Bellicourt, pink was the color of choice to silence the speed camera on the D1044 on Friday, according to L’Aisne Nouvelle.
