from Hacker News

Red-light camera grace period goes from 0.1 to 0.3 seconds, Chicago to lose $17M

by kennyma on 3/22/17, 2:48 PM with 78 comments

• by cwyers on 3/22/17, 4:01 PM

  The moral hazard that comes from cities using fines for offenses to generate revenue is awful and despicable, and it causes all sorts of injustices, big and small. Red light cameras are a part of this, and they're awful.

• by mbroshi on 3/22/17, 4:16 PM

  A big plus of automating tickets is that it's no longer biased. You're not more likely to get a ticket in a poorer, more high crime neighborhood, just because there happen to be more police there. This way, rich white people in the Loop are just as likely to get tickets as poor black people in Woodlawn. To me this democratization seems like a big plus.

• by valine on 3/22/17, 4:04 PM

  I was rear ended at a stop light because I slowed down for a yellow light while the guy behind me gunned it. Now I'm extremely hesitant to slow down for yellow lights. It has nothing to do with being impatient or disregarding traffic regulations, I simply don't trust the people behind me. I feel much safer speeding up to get through lights.

• by jmcdiesel on 3/22/17, 3:32 PM

  While I find the camera's themselves to be... undesirable..

  Why is there a need for a grace period? The yellow is all the grace period you need. If you speed up for or ignore the yellow with time to stop, you're already breaking the law...

  Not that I'm a fan of the system at all - just, if you're going to do it, do it ... u know?

• by SteveNuts on 3/22/17, 3:19 PM

  Good. These should be ruled unconstitutional everywhere.

  Maybe it's just where I live but it seems like law enforcement is more focused on revenue generation.

• by firefoxd on 3/22/17, 4:49 PM

  They're not losing any money. It's not like someone is going in their bank account and taking that money.

  They simply won't be making that 17mm off of people.