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第125次例會，2007年09月29日（週六）下午2:30~5:30
Place：
viewtopic.php?t=15
Time:
14:30 ~15:30 (Free Talks)
15:30~16:00(Speaker Session)
16:00~17:15 (Topic Discussion)
17:15~17:30 (Happy Time)
Host: Wofy Lo
Assistant Host: Louise Kuo
Topic: Controversy over speed traps
Source: GVO January 2007 magazine high-intermediate/advanced P.16 - P.18
Perhaps you are a conscientious and law-abiding driver, or maybe you are a reckless speed demon. Either way, you run the risk of finding a speeding ticket in your mailbox just by driving your vehicle. The culprits are radar speed cameras, also known as “speed traps,” which recent studies and media reports have proven to often be inaccurate.
Lengthy tests done in England showed that the average speed trap’s reading was off by 8kph, which indicated that motorists driving at the legal speed limit regularly receive speeding tickets there. In the United States, a different kind of research reported in The New York Times indicated that traffic light cameras actually make the streets more dangerous. In seven cities, rear end collisions went up almost 15% after these devices were installed at intersections. Fearful of getting ticketed, motorists began braking abruptly at yellow lights and were getting rear ended.
Installed by police departments on six continents, radar speed traps are causing controversy everywhere. Many motorists who feel that they have been unfairly ticketed have mostly successfully – challenged their tickets in court. In order to do so, unfortunately, they have had to take time off from work and perhaps even hire a lawyer. In a few cases, courts have even forced cities to refund all questionable tickets. However, most people around the world who have been unfairly ticketed by speed traps just end up paying their fines.
One American man who felt that he was wrongly ticketed responded to the police in a novel way. After receiving a fine of US$40 accompanied by a photograph of his rear license plate, he felt annoyed and mailed back a photograph of two $20 bills. Not to be outdone, however, the police then mailed back to the man a photograph of handcuffs.
One city where the controversy over inaccurate speed traps has become serious is Sydney, Australia. Municipal bus drivers there are unionized and threatening to strike because the cameras are giving them many expensive speeding tickets. TV 7 news, however, ran a news clip that showed the bus drivers trying their best, but failing, to break the city speed limit. The buses are all equipped with devices that prevent them from even reaching the speed limit, but their tickets claimed they were speeding as much as 20kph over the limit.
Despite the mounting evidence against radar speed cameras, cities around the world are continuing to install more of the unreliable devices. However, a recently aired news clip on America’s CNBC featured a new product called PhotoBlocker that could become a widespread way for motorists to fight back. America’s Fox News also televised a news clip and included footage of its own testing of the product.
The product is a clear liquid that comes in a small spray can. Simply coating a license plate with the liquid makes it unreadable, as a camera’s flash will be reflected back to the lens and result in a completely overexposed photo. This works day or night, but the plate will always be just as readable to the naked eye. CNBC contacted many police departments in the U.S., but none of them were able to demonstrate that PhotoBlocker
Does not work, or is illegal. According to Fox News, police officers would not be able to detect the substance eon a license plate, anyway.
Vocabulary:
1. conscientious 憑良心的/誠實的 11. widespread 普遍的
2. law-abiding 守法的 12. detect 察覺
3. culprit 犯罪
4. reading 示數/示度
5. brake 煞車
6. fine 罰款
7. novel 新奇的
8. handcuffs 手銬
9. municipal 市的
10. unionized 加入到工會組織的
Discussion:
1. Have you ever been ticketed, fairly or unfairly? If so, tell a classmate about it.
2. Do you think PhotoBlocker will become a high-selling product in Taiwan? Should it be legal? Why or Why not?
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台北，每週六 (2005年6月起)
Taipei, Saturday, Weekly
from June, 2005
Place：
viewtopic.php?t=15
高雄，每月最後一個週日 (2007年4月起)
Kaohsiung, Final Sunday, Monthly
from April, 2007
Place：
viewtopic.php?t=15
20070929, Speaker--Willie Cheng
20070929, Game conductor--Louise Kuo
20070929, Gathering and Feedback
20070929, Saturday dinner
