Smile pretty for the cameras...

In Escondido, there are a few red light cameras. I don't mind, especially since I understand how they work. In fact there is one that I have to stop at quite often, and I enjoy it when I am the first car in the lane, so that I can pull up just so and FLASH! off goes the camera. Of course I come to a complete stop, behind the limit line, but I trigger the camera.

They are set to trigger if you cross their sensors going a certain speed or above. This is only true for a Standing Red Light. Each intersection, probably each sensor, can have different speed thresholds set for triggering the cameras, the assumption being that you couldn't stop behind the limit line if you hit the sensor at that speed. The down side being that people can roll right through the red light as long as they are going under that speed threshold. I have seen this with people turning right at certain lights.

Seems like a pretty imperfect system to me, but they do on occasion catch some spectacular accidents on film. Big money maker though, nice fat fine. My advice? Stop behind the darn limit line (that is the first one if there is a crosswalk, btw, not the far line). I mean actually stop. Take a half second for the car to rock. Stop signs too, just bloody stop, it won't kill you or your car. Come on, have some guts.