A new device, much like a radar detector, can alert drivers to locations where red-light cameras have been mounted. The company that?s come up with this is Cobra, long known for its dashboard-mounted radar detectors that alert drivers to police speed- radar monitoring devices.
Because red-light cameras don?t emit a signal, this equipment uses Global Positioning Satellite technology and a database to tell you when you are near an intersection with a red-light camera.
I?m not sure I understand the value of these things in the truest sense.
After all, if you live in an area and drive the same roads every day, won?t you know where the red-light cameras are? These things can?t be relocated every day like a cop with a radar gun.
Unlike speeding tickets, which carry monetary penalties and the risk of points against your driving record, red-light violations carry a roughly $75 fine depending on where the infraction occurs.
The first generation of these GPS-based red-light detectors, soon to go on sale at Best Buy and Circuit City, will set you back $450.
Let?s do the math: At $75 per infraction, you would have to run six red lights before you have amortized the cost of the device.
I don?t know about the rest of you, but it seems to me that somebody who thinks he might blow through six intersections where the light is red is probably a risk to the rest of us and should have his license taken away immediately.
The argument might be that these red-light camera alert systems might cause drivers to slow down and be more wary. But they also might lead to drivers changing their routes to avoid intersections and put more traffic on other streets.
Save the $450, buy a set of nice chrome-plated curb findersand some fuzzy dice, and pay attention to the road instead of figuring out a way not to get caught driving poorly.
While you?re at it, try to imagine that that?s your grandmother trying to cross the intersection when the “Walk” light turns to a red hand.
