cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/44712264

These up-eds usually complain that photo radar would be fine if the radar worked properly. This one doesn’t even do that. It just complains that speed limits aren’t fair and now drivers have to change their behavior. jfc

It is true that drivers can avoid such tickets by sticking to the posted speed limits, but it is also true that drivers are hardly ever expected to strictly observe those limits.

It’s like the generally accepted contract between drivers and police – just drive at a reasonable speed and you’ll be fine – has been broken.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-photo-radar-is-becoming-increasingly-common-that-doesnt-make-it-any/

  • miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.comOP
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    3 days ago

    The opinion piece is epitome ‘fuck cars’. Authored by the prickiest of pricks:

    clocked at an excessive rate of speed – in this case, 54 kilometres an hour in a 40 km/h zone, which isn’t even particularly excessive.

    35% above speed limit

    You were just driving along, at a normal rate of speed. And now, you’re looking at a fine of almost $100.

    bc we’re all normal, amirite?

    But photo radar eliminates this. Suddenly there’s no accounting for the flow of traffic, the time of day, the weather conditions, any of that. Were you speeding past the camera? Boom, here’s your ticket. It’s like the generally accepted contract between drivers and police – just drive at a reasonable speed and you’ll be fine – has been broken.

    speed should be discretionary (my discretion, ofc)

    • kibiz0r@midwest.social
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      3 days ago

      Setting the car aspect aside, there really should be some element of discretion in the criminal justice system.

      Mandatory minimums and AI-assisted parole hearings produce outcomes that people know are unfair when they see the end result. But it’s difficult to convince people to avoid adopting them at the start, because we have this bias towards thinking that “quantitative and rule-based” automatically means fair, without thinking of the fact that someone needs to design the metrics and the measurement systems.

      The biases of the police force and judges aren’t fair either, but I don’t think the answer is to put those decisions entirely in the hands of data analysts and policy wonks who are even further removed from the communities they impact.

      Adding the car aspect back in, I think the biggest concern I have is the surveillance capability these enable.

    • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Yeah, these are all narcissist arguments. The only argument that should be made is the fact they don’t actually reduce accidents, fatalities, or make the roads any safer (the fixed kinds, at least).

        • Senal@programming.dev
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          3 days ago

          You are absolutely going to need some peer review or corroborating reference for an article produced and published by an organisation who’s entire success premise is based on a particular outcome to said article.

          That’s “A study on how smoking does not cause lung cancer posted on the Marlboro website” levels of suspected bias.

          It’s probably legit, but it looks suspicious.

            • Senal@programming.dev
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              3 days ago

              Ah, I see, weak citation then deflection.

              That gives a pretty accurate understanding of what to expect from a conversation with you.

              If you don’t understand that questioning the impartiality of a source is a rebuttal I’m not sure there’s much else for us to discuss.

              No need to further rebut weak citations, have fun with your delusions.

          • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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            2 days ago

            What about peer reviewed articles showing that photo radars don’t work? Published by organization who’s entire success premise is based on a particular outcome to said article of course. That would also be interesting to see.

            • Senal@programming.dev
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              2 days ago

              i’d imagine they exist and would be equally if not more suspicious because fiscal benefit tends to bring a higher likelihood of shenanigans.

              By “don’t work”, do you mean the physical camera’s are unreliable and malfunction or that they don’t work as a measure to reduce speeding and increase safety? both ?

      • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Yeah, I’m admittedly going off mainstream media talking points from 15-20 years ago, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they have been proven otherwise.

        There’s a strong financial incentive to falsify the stats in their favor though, where there simply isn’t for the opposite.

      • Chip_Rat@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        In other words: “there are no facts to dispute the use of speed camera”

        Agreed.