[s-cars] Red light traffic in Illinois

[Thomas R Green]

Guilty, Not Guilty??  Finally a voice of reason is counseling you  
Baloney, and free of charge.  If you insist on mounting a defense,  
take the Mike Fitton route;  break your clutch and claim "it won't  
stop".    Since these are not moving violations and have no assigned  
points or insurance increases, the set fine is about half the court  
costs if you insist on "due process", then add the fine, and because  
now it is a moving violation, add the other baggage.  Since you will  
lose, make sure any advisors to fight also send lots of monetary  
contributions, since, on your court date, all fines and costs must be  
paid before you can leave the courtroom.  Otherwise, you go to the  
intake center for processing where hopefully you can arrange speedy  
bail.  Credit cards are your means of "due process" here.  : > )  None  
of this is really funny, just ironic.

Are you sure there is not a little camera sign leading to the  
intersection?  They are required here but the equipment is so obvious  
you can't miss it.  The new GPS software will mark these intersections  
as well.  My wife will detour a mile to miss these intersections since  
she apparently can't be retrained to make a complete stop; that  
entails a 3 second motionless period to defeat these on the right turn  
lane.  They have them in the other lanes as well, and they give no  
grace period if you are in the intersection when the light turns red.   
Neighboring Oak Ridge also has SPEED CAMERAS on one problem road  
section.  As a result, many elderly drivers that have been snared will  
no longer turn right on red.  There is also a camera site at an  
intersection where the traffic can only turn left.  Traffic that does  
not correctly judge whether the traffic ahead will clear the  
intersection or be stopped by a red light less than a block past the  
intersection, can be stopped in the intersection with the camera  
flashing.  A pickup driver recently pulled out a rifle and shot the  
camera, but it was soon replaced.

The camera systems in Knoxville are run by a private company  
(Blackwater, maybe?) who take the lions share of the proceeds.  The  
legislature debates the thing to appease the voters, but don't have  
the balls to just outlaw the process unless a uniformed officer is  
present.  The police chiefs are all for it as a safety program that  
doesn't cost them manpower.  Visiting other states soon?  We could  
probably use a primer on other states rules.  The best defense seems  
to be mark 1 eyeball scan of intersection and GPS program of these and  
other revenue generators.

Tom

On Jul 22, 2010, at 9:10 PM, qshipq wrote:
>
> Right turn on Red Law Illinois
> "Steady Lights
> Red light ? Stop at the marked stop line. If there is not a marked  
> stop line, stop before entering the crosswalk. If there is no  
> crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection. Do not go until  
> the light is green and the intersection is clear.
>
> You may make a right turn at a red light. You also may make a left  
> turn at a red light when turning from a one-way street onto another  
> one-way street that has traffic moving to the left. In both  
> instances, drivers must come to a complete stop and yield the right- 
> of-way to oncoming traffic and pedestrians before turning."   
> Illinois Secretary of State
>
> New legislation doesn't appear to help Baloney here
> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-07-09/news/ct-met-quinn-red-light-cameras-20100709_1_lights-on-traffic-signals-red-light-cameras
>
> Nor does the devious thought of putting on plate covers, as that's a  
> moving (points) violation as of Jan 1 2006.  It's a revenue racket  
> alright, but a well lobbied one it seems...
>
> License Plate Covers
> The law previously allowed clear covers only, but was changed  
> January 1st, 2006 to prohibit ANY covers, clear or tinted.  (see  
> below - 625ILCS, 5/12-610.5)
> Sec. 12?610.5. Registration plate covers.
>    (a) In this Section, "registration plate cover" means any tinted,  
> colored, painted, marked, clear, or illuminated object that is  
> designed to:
>        (1) cover any of the characters of a motor vehicle's
>
> registration plate; or
>        (2) distort a recorded image of any of the characters
> of a motor vehicle's registration plate recorded by an automated red  
> light enforcement system as defined in Section 1?105.5 of this Code  
> or recorded by an automated traffic control system as defined in  
> Section 15 of the Automated Traffic Control Systems in Highway  
> Construction or Maintenance Zones Act.
>    (b) It shall be unlawful to operate any motor vehicle that is  
> equipped with registration plate covers.
>    (c) A person may not sell or offer for sale a registration plate  
> cover.
>    (d) A person may not advertise for the purpose of promoting the  
> sale of registration plate covers.
>    (e) A violation of this Section or a similar provision of a local  
> ordinance shall be an offense against laws and ordinances regulating  
> the movement of traffic.
> (Source: P.A. 94?304, eff. 1?1?06.)
>
> None of this is new in Illinois.
>
> SJ
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: qshipq at aol.com
> To: airbil at gmail.com
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Sent: Thu, Jul 22, 2010 7:47 pm
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] guilty, not guilty?
>
>
> A couple of misconceptions present.  In Illinois, there is no need to
>
> "Identify" the driver, as this is not a points infraction, this is a  
> revenue
>
> generator.  Identifying the car is the only requirement, it's up to  
> you to put
>
> your hand out to whomever was driving (btdt to my daughter and a  
> buddy that
>
> borrowed my truck).  Bill, the way these sensors work (I'll assume  
> these are not
>
> the radar type = these are the pad type), they follow the simple  
> timing rule to
>
> determine speed over two sensors.  This triggers the camera/video,  
> and there ya
>
> go.  If you can figure out whom gives you your right to due process,  
> you would
>
> need to provide evidence of a stop (many have been successful  
> proving that the
>
> stop was somewhere prior or post sensor).  It appears to me  
> (thinking referee
>
> instant replay review), it's really tough to prove a full stop with  
> your video.
>
> Illinois Law on Right Turn on Red is clear that you have to  
> establish a
>
> "complete stop" at the line (see reference on the site I
>
> gave you).  I'm sure there is an interpretation of that that can be  
> challenged
>
> to an extent, but rolling stops usually don't qualify.  The  
> revenuers gotcha
>
> man.  Your choices are to pay and learn that rolling stops can be
>
> wallet-challenging.  Or, you can fight this some other way...  The  
> latter seems
>
> to be a weak choice, as the video is clear, the hockey puck appeared  
> to clear
>
> the net without interruption or interference.
>
>
>
> WRT S-fest, my plans will rotate around the need to transport a  
> daughter back to
>
> college.
>
>
>
> Scott "stops completely" J
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> End of S-CAR-List Digest, Vol 81, Issue 40
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