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This Man Figured Out The Red Light Camera Scam And Decide To Break Them
For quite some time cameras have been used to prevent drivers from running red lights. Generally, these cameras are triggered by drivers who enter an intersection after the traffic signal has turned red, the driver then receives a hefty fine for the violation. While these cameras don’t force the drivers to stop and obey traffic laws, the financial penalty may encourage them to be a lot more cautious. However, there are people who believe that this preventative measure is a scam. Take for instance a 45-year-old man Stephen Ruth from Long Island, who spent the last couple of years fighting to get these cameras removed.
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Suffolk County launched their red light cameras in 2009, and in 2015 they got Ruth’s attention. After hearing from his friends that they were ticketed unfairly, Ruth decided to investigate. According to him, in an attempt to ticket as many people as possible the city shortened yellow light time to force more people to run red lights.
It is believed that rear-end crashes are far more common where these cameras are present as they force the drivers to brake suddenly in an attempt to avoid a ticket. What makes the matter even worse, the cameras don’t allow any exceptions. Whatever the reason is the person ran a red light, whether it was done in an attempt to avoid being rear-ended or failing to prevent a car from skidding on a slippery road- the driver will receive a ticket.
Ruth, who thinks that the way these cameras operates is unjust decided to set things straight by taking the matter into his own hands. The frustrated man shamelessly cut the wires of several cameras in his town and even posted a video online showing other how easily it can be done.
Unsurprisingly, Ruth was arrested and faced 7 years behind bars, but the man managed to reach a plea deal and instead of jail time he got 1-year probation. “In pushing up a camera, or disassembling a camera, or whatever I do to a camera, all I’m doing is preventing drivers from being ticketed, tricked into tickets,” Ruth said.
His actions certainly caught everyone’s attention. Ruth was dubbed the “Red Light Robin Hood” and regarded as a hero by many people who are equally as frustrated about red light cameras.
However, despite sparking a movement and getting his message out in the open, Ruth, probably the biggest enemy of red light camera program ended his bouts with Suffolk County lawmakers in September 2018.
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What do you think ?
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
If you're going to do something like this it's probably not a good idea to post a video online about it.
Thomas Featherstone 3 years ago
That would defeat the whole purpose of spreading the word.
Load More Replies...
Nathan Thompson 3 years ago
All I read in your post was, "BAaAAAAaAaaAAaah." I never learned to speak sheep.
Load More Replies...
Night Owl 6 years ago (edited)
The title “Red Light Robin Hood” can be easily misinterpreted and misunderstood 😳 🤭
TheBoredPanda 6 years ago
Dude broke the law, period. I don't agree with red light cameras, but, they were put there by a government agency and if you mess with them, it's illegal. Maybe they did alter the yellow light time, who knows, but still brah, fight it the legal way. On a side note...thank GOD they didn't start using automated speed checks on the roads yet. I'd be so F'd....
Nathan Thompson 3 years ago
When they don't fight in the legal way, you can't fight in the legal way.
Load More Replies...
Felix Feline 6 years ago
The cameras are owned by private companies who contractually must receive a certain amount of money from tickets before the municipalities can collect anything. If the company does not receive enough ticket money, then the city/county/town is forced to pay the company anyway. To avoid paying the companies from their own coffers, yellow lights are shortened, and traffic lights are no longer coordinated to ensure that as many people as possible are caught. Accidents increase, and many places are trying to rid themselves of the burden of these cameras.
Katie Schulz 6 years ago
Take this a few steps further and think about how this also applies to the private, for-profit prisons in this country. People's lives are spent incarcerated because of contractually negotiated occupancy rates.
Load More Replies...
Petra Schaap 6 years ago (edited)
as a pedestrian who deals with cars that run through red on a regular base, I'd like to say: F--- YOU.
Albert Thoward 5 years ago
the lights were proven to be shortened from the proper 5 seconds to intentionally ticket people. look it up. he proved it in court but this article seems to leave out that major detail
Brian Ceccarelli 3 years ago
Stephen Ruth is correct. Red-light camera programs are a scheme based on the pseudo-science practice traffic engineers use to compute yellow light durations. The practice opposes the laws of motion, literally causing the vast majority (90%+) of red light running and crashes. The equation is so incorrect, that even its propagators (the Institute of Transportation Engineers) confessed it was wrong in March 2020.
Craig Gee-Gee 5 years ago
Wow ….there are a so many Govt. suck ups commenting here..... typical New York liberals
Dustin Kerksieck 6 years ago
I took down all the stop signs in my town. My neighbor died in a crash, but hey, think about how much money people are saving on traffic tickets!
Rebekah Getz 6 years ago (edited)
Or you could abide by the driving laws and not get ticketed in the first place?? As for this jerk, he's a vandal who's costing the city money and time. He deserves whatever consequences they dole out. Side note: I had a friend who was a complete a-hole as a driver - tailgating, speeding, absent minded to the point she'd get in wrecks. She'd whine about getting tickets and such, yet never learns. She's one of the people who believes these cameras and cop traps are unfair. I feel like if you're doing the right thing and driving as you should, there's no reason to hate these things so much.
Lingon 6 years ago
What a f*****g idiot! Yellow lights doesn't mean "Speed up, it's going to turn red soon", if you see the yellow lights, stop, red means that someone else is allowed to drive/walk through the intersection. But he is welcome to Sweden, here he would loose his driving license in just seconds, due to our rigorous traffic laws. We actually want to save lives, he doesnt. He thinks that others lives don't matter, just as long he can get from A to B in a few seconds less.
Full Name 6 years ago
You must've missed the part where it said the city shortened the yellow light time in order to make more people break the law. That's what this was about.
Load More Replies...
Christina Sersif 6 years ago
If you're going to do something like this it's probably not a good idea to post a video online about it.
Thomas Featherstone 3 years ago
That would defeat the whole purpose of spreading the word.
Load More Replies... Nathan Thompson 3 years ago
All I read in your post was, "BAaAAAAaAaaAAaah." I never learned to speak sheep.
Load More Replies... Night Owl 6 years ago (edited)
The title “Red Light Robin Hood” can be easily misinterpreted and misunderstood 😳 🤭
TheBoredPanda 6 years ago
Dude broke the law, period. I don't agree with red light cameras, but, they were put there by a government agency and if you mess with them, it's illegal. Maybe they did alter the yellow light time, who knows, but still brah, fight it the legal way. On a side note...thank GOD they didn't start using automated speed checks on the roads yet. I'd be so F'd....
Nathan Thompson 3 years ago
When they don't fight in the legal way, you can't fight in the legal way.
Load More Replies... Felix Feline 6 years ago
The cameras are owned by private companies who contractually must receive a certain amount of money from tickets before the municipalities can collect anything. If the company does not receive enough ticket money, then the city/county/town is forced to pay the company anyway. To avoid paying the companies from their own coffers, yellow lights are shortened, and traffic lights are no longer coordinated to ensure that as many people as possible are caught. Accidents increase, and many places are trying to rid themselves of the burden of these cameras.
Katie Schulz 6 years ago
Take this a few steps further and think about how this also applies to the private, for-profit prisons in this country. People's lives are spent incarcerated because of contractually negotiated occupancy rates.
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 6 years ago (edited)
as a pedestrian who deals with cars that run through red on a regular base, I'd like to say: F--- YOU.
Albert Thoward 5 years ago
the lights were proven to be shortened from the proper 5 seconds to intentionally ticket people. look it up. he proved it in court but this article seems to leave out that major detail
Brian Ceccarelli 3 years ago
Stephen Ruth is correct. Red-light camera programs are a scheme based on the pseudo-science practice traffic engineers use to compute yellow light durations. The practice opposes the laws of motion, literally causing the vast majority (90%+) of red light running and crashes. The equation is so incorrect, that even its propagators (the Institute of Transportation Engineers) confessed it was wrong in March 2020.
Craig Gee-Gee 5 years ago
Wow ….there are a so many Govt. suck ups commenting here..... typical New York liberals
Dustin Kerksieck 6 years ago
I took down all the stop signs in my town. My neighbor died in a crash, but hey, think about how much money people are saving on traffic tickets!
Rebekah Getz 6 years ago (edited)
Or you could abide by the driving laws and not get ticketed in the first place?? As for this jerk, he's a vandal who's costing the city money and time. He deserves whatever consequences they dole out. Side note: I had a friend who was a complete a-hole as a driver - tailgating, speeding, absent minded to the point she'd get in wrecks. She'd whine about getting tickets and such, yet never learns. She's one of the people who believes these cameras and cop traps are unfair. I feel like if you're doing the right thing and driving as you should, there's no reason to hate these things so much.
Lingon 6 years ago
What a f*****g idiot! Yellow lights doesn't mean "Speed up, it's going to turn red soon", if you see the yellow lights, stop, red means that someone else is allowed to drive/walk through the intersection. But he is welcome to Sweden, here he would loose his driving license in just seconds, due to our rigorous traffic laws. We actually want to save lives, he doesnt. He thinks that others lives don't matter, just as long he can get from A to B in a few seconds less.
Full Name 6 years ago
You must've missed the part where it said the city shortened the yellow light time in order to make more people break the law. That's what this was about.
Load More Replies... 
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