As soon as I heard there were plans to install photo radar on the Loop 101, I had to find out where. Rarely will someone enjoy going to driving school or shout with delight when given a ticket.
And with the advent of photo radar, it's easier than ever to receive a citation. Drive 11 mph over the posted speed limit -- over what is considered "reasonable and prudent" -- and cameras throughout the Valley are waiting to catch you. Often without even realizing the offense, a ticket is delivered to the license plate owner's residence weeks later.
There's now a ban targeting it. Senate Bill 1164 would not only prohibit photo radar on the Loop 101, but also on any highway in Arizona. Proponents of the ban often cite infectivity and alternative city motives.
There's the fear that cameras provide a financial incentive for cities to reduce the number of police patrolling streets. While photo radar would increase the number of speeders caught, the more dangerous and accident-causing issues such as drunken or even aggressive driving need live police officers to provide intervention.
Whether the system even reduces speeding is debatable. Opponents of photo radar often look toward other cities whose experience hasn't provided sufficient proof of a reduction in speeders or collisions.
Proponents point out places such as Australia -- where the number of speeders fell from 23 percent to just 3.5 percent over a five-year period following the introduction of photo radar.
But it's hard to argue that our society's propensity to speed on the highways plays no part in the picture. And that's something we ought to own up to.
Either way, it's easy to see how the system can be misused as a revenue generator. There are 68,000 to 150,000 speeding violations each day on the monitored section of the Loop 101, and fines of $157 each equate to a potentially large stream of revenue.
Having done my time in driving school and handing over more money than I care to divulge, my wallet still aches.
I sighed with relief when I found out it was just silly Scottsdale putting cameras on the Loop 101, and not anywhere in my West Valley path.
That's when I realized it: I have a speeding problem.
I'll admit it -- my first concern wasn't answering, "How will photo radar on the Loop affect safety?" It was more like, "Will I get a ticket?"
While I no longer speed on the surface streets, the freeway calls to me. "Everyone does it" often seems to be enough justification, but it shouldn't be enough. The easiest way to solve the issue is by not speeding. It's as easy as that.
Of course, in our "minute-rice," fast-food-loving society, speeding only seems natural. Those few moments saved by zooming past that old lady matter. Time is money. So, perhaps instead of cutting time through speeding, there are other time savers.
For instance, instead of applying makeup at home, do it in your car. The time you waste going the speed limit should cancel out time you spend applying foundation at home. Plus, you really only need one hand and one eye to drive. It totally frees the other hand to use the eyelash curler.
Homework can be done in the car. Don't be overly ambitious: You won't get chapters of your history book read or that English essay done. But that economics worksheet with multiple-choice diagrams is definitely doable. You only need one hand to circle your answers.
Perhaps even skip breakfast at home. Opt for easy-to-travel foods such as bagels, Egg McMuffins or even homemade breakfast burritos. You only need one hand to hold a burrito. Notice the trend?
There are so many other possibilities out there -- just use a little creativity. And remember: don't speed, multitask. That's legal.
Rosie Cisneros is a political science and journalism junior. Reach her at rosie.cisneros@asu.edu.
