Unplugged said:
... is becoming the norm along Hwy 98 and too many other intersections throughout SoWal. What would be the cost/ benefit to installing red light cameras at some of these danger zones?
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 22 percent of all traffic accidents in the United States are caused by drivers running red lights. Every year, these accidents kill some 800 people and rack up an estimated $7 billion dollars in property damage, medical bills, lost productivity and insurance hikes.
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I am almost afraid of Hwy. 98 because of this, not only are they running red lights, but the people, most of whom I find are from Atlanta (car tags), are also going about 70+ on Hwy. 98.
This is outrageous and it has happened to me back in April of 2005 right before I graduated from college. A group of kids ran a red light because they were on cell phones and listening to loud music. I was very angered by this and then I was put through hell by their insurance company--USAA Auto.
USAA Auto sent me a letter the week after the accident and claimed that after an extensive investigation they have determined that their insured driver was not the cause of the accident--WHO was then? ME? I was patiently sitting in a turning lane waiting on my GREEN arrow so that I could make a left turn. Because of the tone of the consequential phone call I made to USAA, I am glad that I was the only one at home when I received this letter.
The driver was charged criminally for his actions and received community service, as he had a bad driving record. USAA never conducted a thorough invesitgation as they had claimed, and were only using scare tactics, little did they know that I come from a family of attorneys.
Following a mediation proceeding with USAA Auto in November of 2005, I was compensated for my expenses this past January, 9 months after the accident.
