A list of red light cameras in Delaware. An article in the recent edition of the AAA magazine makes the point that traffic enforcement should be about safety, not revenue. Clearly this is not the priority of local governments in Delaware. Some traffic lights are actually set up to have very short yellow periods, the better to entrap the people they are trying to "protect."
I got a bill with a photo of me going through a red light, sent by some kind benefactors who call themselves the Red Light Safety Program. They wanted a decent sized check, but that's not what it's about. It's all about my safety. No doubt they could use the cash as well, but it's really, really about keeping me safe. And the children, too, I'm sure. Let's not forget the children.
Can't we ever call things by their real names? This program should be called the Revenue Enhancement Program, or the Gotcha! Program. That would be more honest. Just as it would be more honest to refer to abortion and birth control by their own names, instead of piously calling them Women's Health Issues. And talking about saving women's health. Pregnancy is not an illness. Every single person I've ever met was the result of a pregnancy. Every one. No exceptions.
Does it ever occur to anyone that women can still get abortions and birth control by paying for it themselves? It's perfectly legal. But it seems unthinkable. We used to pay for medical care, in living memory. When my kids were small, we took them to the pediatrician and paid the bill out of our own pockets. They got the required shots and well-baby exams without aid from the government or insurance. Insurance was for catastrophes.
A couple of years ago, my father suffered an attack of shingles. It was hideously painful, so when shots for shingles came out, I asked the doctor to prescribe a shot for me. The insurance carrier had not yet approved this for payment, and my doctor's office was gobsmacked when I offered to pay for it myself. I did, and was not struck down by a thunderbolt from heaven.
Red light madness
I got a red light camera ticket and I was hopping mad. So I did a bit of research on Google, and now I'm really mad. It turns out that this "service" is not local. The company which administers the program writes the ordinance which is passed by a local political body, a minimum number of "violations" are guaranteed to this company, the company --not a local police department or elected officials--sets the lights and camera up, and the cameras are timed to increase the probability of catching motorists. How about this nugget:
Nestor, the company we have outsourced our red light law enforcement to has collected ~ $4.7 million in 3 years. That money we will never see again, and we just shipped it right out of Delaware’s economy and into a private firm. Previously, when you got a ticket, it at least went to the State. It could then be used for police salaries or highway repair. But not in this case.Apparently Nestor does not do as good a job in ordering their own affairs; they are going bankrupt. In my own case, the photograph shown on the citation is incorrect, in that it does not show the green left turn arrow which I and several other cars are obeying. The tone of the letter itself is nasty and intimidating, clearly designed to threaten those who don't knuckle under and pay at once. Shame on you, Delaware! Is this the way to treat citizens?
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