Speed Cameras: More Debate

As an automobile enthusiast, I'm not a fan of speed cameras. I think they're generally a revenue stream disguised as public safety. The city where I live, here in Ontario, recently introduced speed cameras to our community.

At first, they said they'd put them only in school zones. This, of course, came with little protest since everyone agrees that people shouldn't be speeding in areas where children are present. However, I warned on local forums that this was just a gateway for them to expand the use all over the city, and sure enough, more cameras started appearing in what they called "high traffic" areas.

Debating with speed camera supporters, they instantly assume you dislike them because you intend to speed, and owning performance-focused cars, that's hard to argue with. However, I think if you look at it from a different angle, it becomes painfully obvious that the real goal is to generate revenue.

My car's GPS shows the posted speed limit of whatever street I'm on. So technically, the car knows the speed. Technologically, we'd have no problem creating vehicles that were physically limited to only go as fast as the posted speed of the streets they drive upon. So it would be physically impossible for them to be speeding, and thus there would be no need for speed cameras at all. Of course, it's not as easy as that. There are older cars this tech wouldn't work with, and people would straight-up hate it! But why?

I would assume most people see a speed limiter as a restriction of their freedoms. But if we're willing to accept speed cameras in our communities, which hand out automated punishment when you exceed the speed limits, aren't they also limiting our freedoms as much as a speed limiter in your vehicle would? Is it that we think we can get away with speeding outside the camera zones when "the law" isn't looking? What if there were insurance breaks for those who installed a speed limiter in their vehicles? What if all commercial vehicles were required to have them?

Like it or not, I think autonomous vehicles are opening the door to this future. Soon we will have taxis that drive themselves, buses, shipping vehicles, and I would bet that personal passenger vehicles that are not driven at all aren't too far off.

Once this happens, future people will be amazed that people of the past were ever allowed to control a vehicle by hand at all. When automation comes online, speed cameras, traffic cops, state troopers, and their revenue will be a thing of the past.

Wanted to share this vid posted when I talked about this subject on the Throttle House Discord channel.

Do Police Have a New Trick Up Their Sleeve to Catch Speeders?

Last month I took a long road trip from Toronto to Iowa to visit family.  I drove the Focus RS and was sure to bring my radar detector which is an Escort Passport 9500ix.  Along the way I got the normal chirps for X band warnings which are usually not important as well as some Ka & K band warnings that are usually the police.  My detector also has GPS to warn of common police hiding spots and speed/red light cameras.  So I feel I’m pretty well covered.  Many times during the trip I would get very aggressive warnings which were usually caused but those speed warning signs they put up next to construction zones.  You know the, “Your Speed is….” warnings.  Everything seemed to be working well.  I still keep an eye out but I’m certainly more relaxed when I’m using it.

However there were three times during the trip that the highway patrol was out in force.  Many patrol cars not even trying to hide pointing the radar guns right at the oncoming traffic but my detector didn’t even chirp.  What the hell?  Not even a sound.  If the officers were using laser my detector warns about that too (often too late) but it does warn me.  Are they using something new?

I went to the Escort website and looked at their top of the line model.  The Escort Max 360c is $599, connects to wi-fi connected ability as well as linking to your smartphone the thing seems really advanced.  But just like mine it covers X, K, Ka, & Laser bands, with no sign of a new band.  I’ve emailed Escort about this and have yet to hear back.

Here in Ontario radar detectors are illegal and believe me the police look for them.  If you are caught you are fined and the device is confiscated.  Because of this reason I only use mine in “dark mode” and at night.  But in light of my last trip I feel much less secure and wonder if it’s even worth the risk if its missing something.

I'll update when I know more.