Reader: I flip off photo radar vans every time, just in case they flash

Our post about a man who purposely sped past a photo-radar van so he could flip off the camera spawned plenty o' conversation. Not every visitor approved of this gesture -- but here's one who did...

By Michael Roberts

February 8, 2012

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Our post about a man who purposely sped past a photo-radar van so he could flip off the camera spawned plenty o' conversation.

Not every visitor approved of this gesture -- but here's one who did.

Cmack23 writes:

My man!! I do the same thing at every van I pass just in case, I would rather be throwing the bird at them in the ticket picture too! What these vans and flashes actually do is make drivers lose focus because we are forced to constantly keep looking at the spedometer and the vans to make sure we are within the right speed. This causes for less attention to actually be paid to the road and our surroundings...just another government funded money trap!

Note: The original version of this story reported that the driver flipped off a photo-enabled red light camera at an intersection, not a photo-radar van. We apologize for the error.

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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