The same thing can happen when you are trying to get a speed on the same previously mentioned Corvette which happens to be the closest target to you and all you are doing is picking up the truck a quarter mile behind it.  Once again it is the properly trained radar operator that could make that distinction, not the radar unit itself or even somebody examining a still photograph.

So, how did the use of these inaccurate devices become the most popular money collecting device since the toll booth?

Some very smart business man sold local governments on the idea.  Whether they wanted to slow people down, automate their law enforcement activities, or "save the life of a child".  The real reason was to make money for both the company selling and renting the wares to the govenment body planning on using it.  For the local government, it was a no-brainer, sell the idea to the public under the false premise (intentionally or unintentionally) that it was for the "safety" of the children.  For the most part, the government didn't know the first thing about radar so they took for granted what the companies making these revenue generating devices were telling them... or did they?  Maybe the government knew all along.  After all, it's money, money they didn't previously have.

Anyway, with the strong assistance of lobbyists working for these companies, and in some instances using lobbyinsts with very strong ties to local elected officials, laws were written that essentially says that there is no burden of proof needed to fine someone.  "The car committed the crime, so the owner has to pay." 

Oh, if only King George had come up with such an idea, the Colonies would never have been able to afford a revolution.

Before I go on, if somebody tells you that they are used for "the protection of the children", turn and run away as fast as you can and hold onto your wallet the entire time.  The truth is, speed cameras have absolutely nothing to do with safety in general much less specifically towards children.    Stopping the violator committing the crime, not just making them pay a fine some time later, is the way to protect the children.  Using the children as the excuse to generate revenue should be a crime all by itself.

Let me put this into perspective for you.  Let's use an example of a speed camera installed in front of an elementary school.  The speed camera is positioned  directly in front of the school and has already taken a picture of the offending vehicle. The road is posted as a thirty mile per hour zone.   A high school student is late for school and is traveling at 60 mph.  One block past the school, one of the elementary students steps off the curb to cross the street at a corner, not realizing the car is going as fast as it is.  Before the driver of the speeding car can even press the brake pedal to the floor, they have struck the child.  Had there been a police officer working radar instead of the speed camera, the driver would have been stopped prior to striking the child crossing the street.

Baltimore County has been blessed by not having children "run down"  in front of schools, yet that was one of the reasons given for wanting to use speed cameras, and then, even with showing there was no benefit in revenue or reduction in accidents, voted to do away with a legislatively mandated cap so they could put as many of these devices up as they wanted.  Baltimore County found a solution to a problem they didn't even have.  Sadly, Baltimore County isn't the only jurisdiction in the country to be doing this same thing.

Politicians have found that citizens have traditionally gone along with any plans they come up with to raise fees and taxes if it is "for the children".  Frankly, they have beaten that dead horse into the ground, and the citizens are finally starting to catch on.

In Baltimore County's (Maryland) case, the only group profitting from the cameras is the private company that owns the equipment and is renting it to (Yes! Renting it to) Baltimore County and taking 80% of the revenue generated by the issuing of the citations.  Do you think the people of the County are starting to ask questions?    They should be.

The one thing  that does affect the children is the constant bombardment by microwaves.  These radar tranceivers emit the same type of radiation as your microwave oven.  Not quite the power, but the same type.  How many times a week do you hear warnings about getting your microwave oven checked for leaks or suggesting you purchase a microwave oven tester to do it yourself? 

For decades now, police officers that use radar often are cautioned regarding the radiation hazards and potential  cancer risks associated with exposure to radar units.    It is a known fact children are more susceptible to certain types of cancer merely due to developmental and immunity  processes.  Traffic radar is known and documented to be responsible for certain cancers, primarily in reproductive organs, and damage to the eyes.  But it is such a small price to pay for the amount of money the fines can generate, right?  And besides, by the time any cases of cancer or blindness  get to court, the politicians that have embraced this method of revenue generation will be long gone from power.

In most states, a speeding violation is a misdemeanor.   Having a police officer issue a citation based on hearsay evidence by a third party is at the very least inappropriate.  If you call a police officer to report that someone other than your spouce just punched you, you're told to go to the court and file  for a summons to be issued.   Yet  if one of these privately owned speed cameras takes a photo of your car, it is assumed you were driving and you get the ticket.   Where is the ACLU and protecting the constitutional rights of our citizens on this?

The  government has an obligation to stop violations when possible, not just make money off of their commission.  The answer is more police officers, not the automation of traffic enforcement. 

Washington D.C. was one of the first municipalities to adopt the use of speed cameras.  They lowered the tolerance and started issuing tickets to visitors to our nations capital at a much lower speed than officers would.  Why?  Simply put, to make more money.  It was so popular with the citizens that they ended up having to put two police officers in the car to protect the equipment, after having several destroyed.