REACTION TIME

On Tuesday the article appeared in the paper.  My eyes read it.  My Senior Citizen brain registered it.  I’m responding with this story three days later, which proves my point.  Oh yes.  You haven’t heard my point ...

yet, have you?

The Road Worrier said red-light cameras are returning to Fayetteville.  Now wait a minute.  Give me some time to digest this.  I happen to have had some experience with red-light cameras, and boy was I relieved when they unplugged them in Knightdale!  What birdbrain would plug them back in? 

You know where the cameras hang out in your town, hence which lights to speed through.  When you see one of those babies turn yellow, one question comes to mind: “How soon will I be in the middle of that intersection?”  If you slam on brakes, you’ve got to worry about the guy behind you.  But wait, is there someone back there or not?  When is the last time you checked?  So you speed up. 

I’m not the only law-breaker.  A vast study of fifteen intersections in Raleigh, proves my point: “Raleigh’s red-light cameras sparked a 32 percent increase in … rear-end collisions.”  I’ll drink to that!

I’m not saying eliminate them.  They sparked a 52% reduction in right-angle collisions.  Those things kill people.

I have a solution (and this is my point).  All the DOT (dare I call them “birdbrains” again?) needs to do is to prolong the yellow lights.  That’s this birdbrain’s opinion and I’m sticking to it.