General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFlorida town installs red-light camera outside hospital entrance to target dying speeders
Citizens of Tamarac, Florida are outraged after learning that the city placed a red-light camera at an intersection outside of a hospital emergency room.
An investigation by Local 10 revealed that townspeople racing to the emergency room with legitimate medical ailments have been ticketed by the automated system on multiple occasions.
Local 10 spoke to Jacob Alcahe, who said that he had shooting pains running down his arm and trouble breathing. He said he rushed to University Hospital, fearing he was having a heart attack: I really couldnt breathe, I was sweating, just a lot of things going on.
A few weeks later, Alcahe said he received a ticket in the mail from a camera on University Drive, which had apparently captured him running the red light at the hospitals entrance.
I was just kind of scared and I wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible, he told Local 10.
Alcahe attempted to challenge the ticket even bringing his hospital discharge papers to the hearing but was told by city officials that his possible heart attack wasnt a good enough excuse.
Tamarac Mayor Harry Dressler denied that the city is taking advantage of desperate people in desperate circumstances. The city is not condoning anything, he said. Neither are we preying on anyone.
More and see the video at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/03/florida-town-installs-red-light-camera-outside-hospital-entrance-to-target-dying-speeders/
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)People having a legitimate medical emergency driving themselves to the hospital (and speeding) are cresting an extremely dangerous situation for other motorists. We have ambulances for a reason. I don't want my family killed by a speeder who passes out driving himself to the hospital for a medical emergency.
And obviously, sometimes there will be circumstances where waiting for an ambulance isn't practical. Or if the patient is being driven by a family member.
MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)And look at all of the speeding and potential accidents that they were responsible for stopping.
Not to mention that great revenue stream for the city.
Talk about a win-win situation!
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)I think it's absolutely perfect as an example of the priorities of our culture.
Violet_Crumble
(35,955 posts)It's dangerous for other motorists if they end up having a massive heart attack while they're driving, and calling an ambulance gets help to them quicker than driving to a hospital.
We've got a red light camera not far from the entrance to our main hospital because that intersection was a bad one for people running the lights and there were accidents. Of course the red light camera didn't stop a speeding driver in a stolen car mowing down and killing a nurse last year, but since they were installed the number of accidents at that intersection have dropped....
jeff47
(26,549 posts)Receiving a ticket in the mail weeks later isn't going to open a time portal and allow the person to go back and call an ambulance.
Logical
(22,457 posts)JJChambers
(1,115 posts)Innocent motorists' right to live is more important than someone else's right to drive recklessly while experiencing a medical emergency. Call an ambulance.
Logical
(22,457 posts)JJChambers
(1,115 posts)Someone experiencing a medical emergency shouldn't be driving, much less speeding.
Logical
(22,457 posts)JJChambers
(1,115 posts)In any capacity, much less at a high rate of speed. The last thing we need is someone going unconscious while speeding down the road.
Again, call an ambulance.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Not putting a red light camera in front of the hospital.
If people knew they could call an ambulance without being saddled with an outrageous bill they would be more likely to use that service.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)This is the correct answer.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)E-MER-GEN-CY.
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)Iggo
(47,534 posts)Jeez.
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)A person experiencing a medical emergency should not drive to the hospital. That's reckless and endangers all other motorists. Don't be so selfish.
Iggo
(47,534 posts)I fell for it. Nicely played.
Have a wonderful day.
JJChambers
(1,115 posts)How can you think it's trolling? In what society is it acceptable to recklessly endanger the lives of countless citizens, in order to save a few bucks by avoiding the ambulance bill?
Methinks it is you who is trolling.
TeamPooka
(24,204 posts)Crunchy Frog
(26,574 posts)will be deterred from speeding by the possibility that they might get a ticket in the mail a few weeks later. I'm sure that many lives will be saved by this wise and humane system.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)santamargarita
(3,170 posts)Mariana
(14,854 posts)shortening the yellow lights at busy intersections where the camera are installed, so much as to make it nearly impossible to stop in time. They wanted to be able to issue more tickets, so they intentionally made the intersections MORE dangerous than they were before.
santamargarita
(3,170 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)there's a rush to make the investment "pay for itself" as soon as possible...
How towns and cities still get suckered into buying these things, I will never know...(actually, I do know -- it's called 'kickbacks')
jsr
(7,712 posts)Iggo
(47,534 posts)pipi_k
(21,020 posts)OK, so some people feel that someone experiencing a severe medical emergency should be able to drive himself to the hospital, ignoring traffic laws along the way if he wants to.
Because the ambulance costs too much.
Never realizing that should his reckless driving result in an accident, he could be paying for ambulance service anyway.
Not to mention...if he causes an accident in which other people are injured or killed, he could be charged with negligent homicide. Maybe even be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Because here's the scoop, people...
Ambulances get away with going through red lights and perhaps speeding because people recognize the sight and sounds of an ambulance and are more likely to get out of its way than to avoid some random guy speeding or going through a red light.
If they're on a highway and an ambulance with lights and siren blaring comes up behind them, they'll pull over.
If it's some guy driving himself to the hospital, how the hell do they know it's not some asshole playing chicken or trying to incite some road rage?
So hey...after considering the consequences of being one's own ambulance driver, if people still think it's an awesome idea, then I figure they pretty much deserve what they get, legally.
TeamPooka
(24,204 posts)TeamPooka
(24,204 posts)in the real world people do take themselves to the hospital.
Ambulance runs are actually rare in most medical situations.
My fiance runs an emergency room and most of the people there bring themselves or are brought by a family member or friend.