Red Light Cameras

Red lights cameras have become the source of controversy in the Dallas-Fort Worth area recently. Some communities are under pressure from residents to remove them. Personally I appreciate them. When it comes to the law, I tend to be very black & white. If the light is red, you stop. If it's green you go. If it's yellow you need to prepare to stop. Seems simple. I just checked the Texas Department of Public Safety Code and it's still explained that way. So, what's the issue.

I think the same issue we have with speed limit laws. I regularly drive on I 635, the beltway around Dallas. The speed limit is 60 mph. That's what I drive, when conditions permit. I also ride in one of the center lanes, to avoid the traffic exiting and entering. Boy do I annoy people by doing that. Few other people are driving that speed. Most people seem to abide by the urban myth that the police won't bother with you if you stay within 10 mph of the posted limit.

I've done informal polls on this. When I ask people why they regularly exceed the speed limit the usual responses include, "The law is stupid." or "The roads were designed for fasters speeds." Then there is the typical, "Everybody else is driving faster. I don't want to cause as accident by getting in their way."

Here's the deal. Red means stop. 60 mph means 60 mph. What message are we sending to our kids when our actions say otherwise?

During my years as a school counselor I regularly had listen as parents rationalized their child's actions. Take the issue of cheating. The school policy was clear. Copying answers from another student was wrong. That included copying all or a portion of a homework assignment. The consequences if caught was usually a zero on that assignment. Enter mom or dad; "They were up late visiting their sick grandmother in the hospital." or "They didn't understand that problem so they were asking for help." Yes, there was the typical, "They told me everyone else cheats and they don't want to fall behind."

Our actions as parents send a message to our kids. When we look for ways to skirt the law are we giving our kids permission to do the same?