'Indiscriminate' No Longer a Plus

Mike Riggs | August 7, 2008

A Bethesda, Md. red light camera caught me on a ridiculously short yellow, though I didn't realize it until I received, by mail, two portrait-quality pictures of the license plate on my girlfriend's car. Yesterday, I watched someone run a red light and almost lost my sight when a camera went off like the Fourth of July.

Nevermind that the evidence suggests traffic cameras cause more accidents than they prevent, or that city officials are starting to recognize that the cameras are kind of Orwellian, despite their revenue potential. What about the cases in which, due to bureaucratic bumbling, law enforcement agencies send the ticket to the wrong person?

From a Craigslist ad:

“I would like to compare the images in a ticket I received versus other vehicles. If you have a Camera ticket FROM DC I would appreciate you sharing the Citation Number and Pin Number.

To show how dumb the DMV is, they sent me a ticket for someone riding a scooter because their tag match a vanity tag that I USED TO own, FOR MY CAR, and had turned in.

Oh, ya, if you’ve seen this scooter, that would be great to know too.”

Wanna stick it to the Man? Check out these license plate hiders. Or just buy some magic spray Drive the speed limit and brake early.

Via Washington City Paper's City Desk blog.