Red Freeze

If an Ambulance or other emergency vehicle is coming up on you and you are stopped at a red light, you are supposed to pull over and let them pass.  But you might have to move forward into the intersection to get out of the way.  You would be breaking a traffic law; entering the intersection against the red light.  It's for a good cause; you may be saving some person's life, and a real cop would recognize that and give you a pass. 

But what if the intersection is infested with red light cameras?  Would you still roll forward and pull over, knowing you will get flashed, ticketed by mail and then have to take time off work to go explain yourself to the traffic judge?  The judge would probably dismiss the ticket, but you are still out the time and aggravation.

As far as I know, that hasn't happened here in the USA, yet.  But ambulance jockeys in Saudi Arabia have been complaining that the red light cameras are making it tough for them to get through intersections.  Drivers there are refusing to pull over and eat the ticket.  

And this might just be the reason:  It seems a Saudi driver received an automated ticket on his cell phone demanding he cough up 257,000 Riyal ($66,000 US) for running a red light.  The usual amount is about $125. 

Maybe this is a progressive type ticketing scheme.  Like, if you are rich you pay bigger fines: Trump -- $10,000 parking ticket; me --  $ 5.  Though I suspect he's more than two thousand times wealthier then I. 

Seems the Saudis are keen on squelching chaotic driving.  They've got a new automated traffic control system (SAHER) snapping pictures of scofflaws and texting their punishment to them in the next nano-second. 

Ahhh, It's probably just a computer glitch...and another unforeseen consequence of the red menace.

You can read more about it here:   fine by text