Good
Red-Light Camera
“We are here to address the matter of Mr. Anderson
contesting a red-light violation ticket,” the judge said. “Officer Roberts,
please present your case.”
“Your Honor, on the date in question, I observed Mr.
Anderson’s vehicle enter the intersection after the light had turned red,”
Officer Roberts said.
“Thank you, Officer Roberts. Mr. Anderson, you may now
present your defense.”
“I believe there has been a misunderstanding,” I said.
“As I approached the intersection, the light was green. I would never
intentionally run a red light. However, the yellow light turned red as I was
about to enter the intersection. I couldn’t stop safely without potentially
causing an accident, so I proceeded through the intersection.”
“Officer Roberts, did you observe any factors that might
have contributed to Mr. Anderson’s decision to continue through the
intersection,” the judge asked.
“Your Honor, while I understand Mr. Anderson’s concern
for safety, I must emphasize that a driver should be prepared to stop when
approaching a yellow light.”
“Mr. Anderson, did you believe stopping when the light
turned yellow was unsafe?”
“Your Honor, I felt that stopping abruptly would have
been unsafe, considering the speed limit and the fact that the road was
slightly wet from recent rain. I made the judgment call to proceed cautiously
through the intersection rather than slam on the brakes and risk a potential
rear-end collision.”
“Officer Roberts, considering Mr. Anderson’s concern for
safety and the circumstances described, do you believe there might have been a
valid reason for his actions,” the judge asked.
“Your Honor, while I understand his concerns, the law
still requires drivers to stop when they can do so safely. However, I can see
that there was a judgment call involved.”
“Mr. Anderson, is there anything else you want to enter
to support your case?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” I replied. “In my defense, I would
like to add that the intersection had red light running cameras. These cameras
did not register my incident as a traffic violation, and according to the
empirical evidence supporting the infallibility of these cameras, I must
conclude that this whole incident was a mistake of human error.”
“That is a unique way of phrasing it,” The judge said. “I
must admit I have not had a comparison of man versus machine in a case before.
Officer Roberts, would you like to respond to Mr. Anderson’s accusation?”
“Yes, thank you, Your Honor,” Officer Roberts said. “I
acknowledge that there might be a discrepancy between my observation and the
camera’s failure to record the violation. However, my initial assessment is
that Mr. Anderson’s vehicle entered the intersection after the light turned
red.”
“Is there anything else you want to add, Mr. Anderson?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” I said. “I would like to mention that
the sole duty of the red-light camera is to record red-light running
violations, whereas the police officer is responsible for red-light runners, speeders,
and other criminal activity, forcing him or her to multi-multi task which could
distract them into making a simple, human mistake.”
“Officer Roberts, could you be mistaken?”
“Your Honor, anything is possible,” Officer Roberts
replied.
“Thank you,” the judge said. “Given the conflicting
evidence and consideration of the camera footage showing no violation, I am
inclined to dismiss the ticket. The court is adjourned.”
END
J.B.
Preston
J.B. Preston is a minimalist who writes poetry, literary, and speculative fiction. He has worked as a bartender and librarian but now focuses his time on writing and traveling. His work has appeared in The WestWard Quarterly (Summer 2022) and Ariel Chart (January 2023).