April 4, 2006
Since You Asked
Speed van can’t catch them all
The other day my wife and I were driving over the McAndrews overpass and a motorcycle flew by us going at least 60 miles an hour. My wife said, "Hopefully the speed van will get him." I
told her, "I don’t think so, a motorcycle doesn’t have license plates in front and they wear helmets so who’s to say who was driving." Please settle this question for
us.
— Chuck B., Medford
According to Medford police Lt. Bob Hansen, chances are the speeding biker will not find a ticket waiting for him in the mail.
There needs to be indisputable proof of culpability before a picture taken by either a speed van or a red-light camera will result in a fine, Hansen said.
The cameras snatch 12 seconds of video showing drivers speeding through red lights. Workers at Redflex Traffic Systems — vendor of the photo-enforcement equipment for Medford — comb
through a day’s worth of images and send the clips showing likely red-light runners to police. It is then determined whether to print four still photos from the video to mail to the
offending driver along with a ticket.
Problem drivers can expect a ticket through the mail about 10 days after they are photographed. Since the video clips are shown in court if a driver chooses to fight a ticket, Hansen said officers are
very selective in the ones they choose to drop in the mailbox.
Those who travel by car can escape the camera if glare from the sun on their windshields obscure the view. Even a driver with his or her head turned away from the camera will not be ticketed.
For what it’s worth, Chuck, the motorcyclist may not have gone off into the sunset unscathed. Hansen said a patrol car could’ve been waiting around the corner.
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