Traffic Drones: It’s About Time

Drones will be the perfect way to catch people who run red lights. Snapping photos of the driver and the license plate in the act. Wham! Gotcha!

To help pay for the drones, cities should raise the fine and couple the fine with suspension of a driver’s license for at least 30 days. And if the driver repeats the sin, then off with his or her head, whoops, this isn’t North Korea! We’ll have to settle for loss of a driver’s license (for a year?), and a mandatory driver’s education course.

Did I Miss the Memo on Traffic Lights?

I keep thinking someone sent out a memo, probably on Facebook, that says traffic lights have no power. Green means go, yellow means speed up, and red means keep on going as fast as you can. 

At least, based on watching drivers scream through red lights, that’s what the lights seem to mean nowadays. I got treated to a driver running a red light the other day and watched him crash into a car entering the intersection.

I couldn’t see the red light runner because the big SUV next to me blocked my sight. Since I couldn’t check for speedsters, I decided to let her go before I did. She must’ve forgot to make sure everyone was stopped, but then, she had a green light. She pulled out to make a left hand turn.

Coupe Versus SUV

It was a good thing I hadn’t moved because a little coupe whacked right into her SUV. From the way he went spinning around two or three times as his car whipped through the intersection, I can guarantee you he had sped up rather than slowed down when the light turned yellow.

Mr. Coupe’s spinning car ended up in a ditch. To my surprise, he jumped out of the car and ran to see if he’d hurt anyone. There didn’t appear to be any injuries. The much-bigger-than-the coupe SUV had been knocked slightly askew and maybe had a dent in the side. 

I’m glad no one was hurt, but that’s not always the case. Lots of people are killed or maimed in this type of accident each year.

It seems drivers in the good ole USA think it’s better to run a red light than to stop. It’s not just red lights, drivers are running stop signs, too. 

If the driver at fault isn’t killed, he or she faces criminal charges and/or wrongful death lawsuits. Countless lives are ruined. And for what? Because you left home later than you should have?

Once NASA, the FAA, and lots of interested companies finish testing traffic drones, they’ll hit the air ways.


I can’t wait.

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