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What arbitrage would look like if destruction were the goal
High school students in Maryland are using speed cameras as a tool to fine innocent drivers in a game, according to the Montgomery County Sentinel newspaper. Because photo enforcement devices will automatically mail out a ticket to any registered vehicle owner based solely on a photograph of a license plate, any driver could receive a ticket if someone else creates a duplicate of his license plate and drives quickly past a speed camera. The private companies that mail out the tickets often do not bother to verify whether vehicle registration information for the accused vehicle matches the photographed vehicle.
Here is much more.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on December 29, 2008 at 06:59 AM in Law | Permalink
Comments
Why not give security to your fam for the holidays? Lots of good deals on AV out there. Just saw Panda Security for $20, good until new year's day, apparently:
http://tinyurl.com/a3cyw6
Posted by: Mike at Dec 29, 2008 7:56:03 AM
This is why I remain convinced that automated law enforcement is a bad idea. Would these cameras really be much better if the private companies were diligent enough to match up plates to vehicles?
Posted by: John at Dec 29, 2008 9:40:58 AM
Never mind fraudulent license plates...to me the first problem with these set ups is what if it wasn't you driving your car? Say you lent it to a friend, or your wife was driving alone. Maybe your nephew has it at college.
Are you liable for moving violations they commit with your car? I'm no lawyer but I had always assumed that in ordinary circumstances it was the vehicle driver, not the vehicle owner, who was responsible for ensuring safe operation.
Posted by: Curt Fischer at Dec 29, 2008 10:42:01 AM
> I'm no lawyer but I had always assumed that in ordinary circumstances it was the vehicle driver, not the vehicle owner, who was responsible for ensuring safe operation.
This is why you just get a fine and don't get "points" on your license for violations they catch in this way.
Posted by: babar at Dec 29, 2008 11:06:25 AM
"you just get a fine and don't get "points" on your license"
This makes no sense to me. First of all, if no human actually looks , and it's so easily rigged then a state punishment does not meet the usual criteria for conviction. (If a human basically does text recognition, then that's a government inefficiency, not an investigation and barely evidence)
Second, if anything you should not get a ticket but SHOULD get your insurance company notified. They should decide whether you should be penalized for not securing your motor vehicle. Perhaps send it to all the insurance companies.
Posted by: Andrew at Dec 29, 2008 11:16:01 AM
The rule usually is that you can't send a ticket without a good picture of the driver. At least in most jurisdictions I'm aware of. Sometimes with hilarious results:
http://boingboing.net/2008/10/27/german-traffic-cops.html
Posted by: Nate at Dec 29, 2008 11:17:43 AM
The rule usually is that you can't send a ticket without a good picture of the driver. At least in most jurisdictions I'm aware of. Sometimes with hilarious results:
http://boingboing.net/2008/10/27/german-traffic-cops.html
Posted by: Nate at Dec 29, 2008 11:22:48 AM
Those are great kids!!
Hire them into the CIA right away, we need good troublemakers like that!
Posted by: Fred2 at Dec 29, 2008 11:37:39 AM
As much as I hate these red light cameras, I have to admit that most setups are the two-camera license-and-driver-types. My understanding is similar to Nate, where you need clear identification of the driver. Apparently, things work differently in Maryland.
My fantasy solution to these things is a .30-06, but I'm afraid that's against the law.
Posted by: Klug at Dec 29, 2008 11:42:41 AM
I received a violation notice due to the misreading of the license plate number. I returned it with a note pointing out that the car in the photo did not match my car's registration, and the ticket was canceled without any further action by me. As long as they are this willing to admit making errors it is not really a problem for innocent people, and the deterrent effect on reckless driving in my neighborhood is worth the minor inconvenience of correcting their errors. There is also a place on the notice to deny you were the driver and to tell them who was using your car at the time of the violation, so they can sent the ticket to them instead of you.
People who support programs to deter crime but object to this sort of programs seem to forget the irresponsible drivers kill more people in this county than criminals do.
Posted by: Joan at Dec 29, 2008 12:38:08 PM
I think it is against the Law to use fake license plates and hence the correct solution should be to photograph the individual who is driving the car. Use that information to track down who committed the crime and punish them... Flunking the students for a semester for the first offense seems reasonable.. Multiple offenses should be dealt with heavy fines and imprisonment as well... just my personal opinion... Students should learn to be disciplined.
Posted by: SA at Dec 29, 2008 2:21:51 PM
Joan has the correct response. In contrast to the basic right wing assumptions, most government actions of this nature have a built in self correction mechanism.
I've had parking tickets written on my plate and a different car in a city I was not in and very quickly and easily resolved the issue.
Posted by: spencer at Dec 29, 2008 4:35:58 PM
Here in the antipodes the owner of the car is presumed to be the driver but liability (which includes a point reduction on the licence as well as a fine) can be transferred via a statutory declaration identifying the other driver. what I'm not clear about is what happens when you don't know who the other driver is - I put this to a policeman once and his not terribly helpful comment was that you are expected to know who is driving your car.
Posted by: iolanthe at Dec 29, 2008 6:52:25 PM
People who support programs to deter crime but object to this sort of programs seem to forget the irresponsible drivers kill more people in this county than criminals do.
Would you mind supplying evidence that these sort of programs (red light cameras and speed cameras) actually work? Several studies have suggested that they do not decrease accidents, and may even increase them, due to people slamming on their brakes when being closely followed.
Going the speed limit if everyone around you is going faster is more dangerous than matching the flow of traffic. Relative velocity is very important.
Posted by: John Thacker at Dec 30, 2008 8:18:16 AM
