Why Oppose Automated Ticketing?
It’s Fraud. There is no independent oversight to ensure the accuracy of the cameras and sensors. Redflex and ATS, the two companies running these schemes, have repeatedly been involved in scandals ranging from forgery to faulty equipment (1, 2, 3, 4, 27 pages more…). The State Treasurer has even called the implementation to be in violation of the State Constitution.
It’s Big Brother. The cameras record and stream high-quality video 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even of those not accused by the cameras of an infraction. Automatic License Plate Recognition tracks vehicles and compares the registration data on drivers to national databases. “Point-to-point” speed requires the cataloging of all passing license plate data, as well as the related imaging (see Redflex pdf).
It’s About the Money. Automated ticketing was pushed on Arizona only as a method to generate revenue, and lots of it. Former Gov. Janet Napolitano publicly admitted that she wanted to raise over $90 MILLION dollars a year using the system. This takes money out of the local economy and sends it overseas to Australia’s Redflex. In addition, the money is also used to help fund politicians’ re-election campaigns.
It’s Extortion. It’s Unfair. Arizona lies to drivers on so-called “notices of violation,” which are mailed out in an attempt to frighten unsuspecting people into waiving their Constitutional rights. The mailing of a document via USPS is not proper service, and you are not required to respond. Top executives of ATS and Redflex know this, as they have repeatedly ignored their own tickets. Arizona Judge Keegan calls the system unconstitutional.
It’s Unsafe. Photo radar has NEVER stopped a speeder or dangerous driver. Drunks, fugitives, and car theives go unpunished by automated ticketing. Bright flashes cause “temporary driver blindness” according to the inventor’s own patent. Cameras are placed in dangerous locations against the advice of researchers so that revenue can be maximized.
Police say photo radar delays response times. 43% fatality increase on photo-enforced Tempe roadways. Rear end collisions, which can prove to be exceptionally deadly, see increases of 54% to 65%. Even pro-photo enforcement groups such as AAA question DPS’s bogus “safety” statistics. Red-light cameras also prove to be a threat to life and property, with some cities reporting an astonishing 89% increase in injury accidents.
Top 5 Things You Can Do To Help
DONATE to Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar.
ATTEND our next event.
SIGN the ballot measure to end automated ticketing.
START collecting signatures for the ballot measure or send us an email to become a business collection point.
