Traffic Light Cameras – Warnings must be posted near intersections

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

Traffic light cameras have become the craze in Southern New Jersey. If you try to run a yellow light, “big brother” is going to get you. On Oct. 30, 2010, The “Courier-Post” ran

some common questions and answers to the red light cameras throughout South Jersey.

Question: How do I know if an intersection is being monitored?

Answer: Any municipality that authorizes the use of a red light camera, including the 22 in the state pilot program, by law must post a sign warning of the enforcement on each street leading to the intersection. Some South Jersey communities in the pilot program expect to add more cameras in the future, but for now, they have been authorized at the following intersections:

Cherry Hill: At Route 70 and Springdale Road

Deptford: At Route 41 and Deptford Center Road

Glassboro: At Route 47 and Dalton Drive

Gloucester Township: On Blackwood-Clementon Road (Route 534) at Cherrywood Drive, at Blenheim/Erial/New Brooklyn Road (Route 706), at Little Gloucester Road (Route 759), and at Millbridge Road

Monroe: On Route 322 at Route 612 and at Route 42/Route 536 Spur

Q: If I see the cameras flash, does that mean I’m going to get a ticket?

A: Not necessarily. Sensors in the road trigger the cameras after determining that a vehicle is traveling fast enough to potentially cross the white stop line when the light turns red. Each camera company operates differently, but usually the devices snap at least two photos showing the back of the vehicle at and in the intersection during a red light. Some companies also record a short digital video. Before any tickets are issued, the camera provider reviews the images and sends suspected violations to the local law enforcement agency. Police officers then determine whether to issue a citation. Tickets are mailed to the registered owner of the license plate, not necessarily the driver, and usually include copies of the photo evidence and a link to view more online. Drivers won’t know if they’ve been caught running a light until they receive a ticket in the mail.

Q: What if someone else is driving my car?

A: According to state statute, you will still be held liable for the fine unless you can show your car was used without your consent. In that case, you would be able to take the driver to court to recover the amount of the fine. That differs from Philadelphia’s program, which uses only still photos and exonerates the vehicle owner if he can prove he wasn’t driving, even if he knowingly let someone else take the wheel. In New Jersey, only rental car owners can get a ticket excused by providing the name and address of the person leasing the car at the time the ticket was issued. The law doesn’t say if the court then sends the violation to that driver.

Q: Will I get a ticket if I’m traveling through the intersection when a yellow light changes to red?

A: You shouldn’t. According to service providers, the cameras focus on vehicles crossing the white stop line painted on the road after the light turns red.

Q: What if I inch forward for a clear view to the left before making a right on red?

A: As long as you first come to a complete stop before the white line, local police say you shouldn’t get fined. Those who stop but overshoot the line, whether heading forward or into a turn, could still face a fine. Authorities will see from the series of pictures where the vehicle was when the light turned red and whether it continued progressing into the intersection just after that. It’s up to them to decide whether to ignore a violation if a vehicle has only nudged past the stop line.

Q: Will there be any forgiveness for special circumstances like emergencies or funeral processions?

A: Yes. If examiners can tell that an emergency vehicle or funeral procession ran the light, the violation would be dismissed, local police chiefs said. However, because the cameras capture only the backs of the vehicles, any other nonvisible circumstances would have to be raised in a court hearing.

Q: What if I believe I didn’t do anything wrong, regardless of what the video shows?

A: You can request a hearing to contest the ticket in municipal court. The ticket will include directions on how to set that up. Steve Carrellas, a state representative for the National Motorists Association, encourages drivers to request the latest available speed survey and yellow light timing for the intersection to use as evidence in court. With that information, he said, drivers can determine whether the yellow signal lasted long enough for them to come to a stop based on state regulations.

Networking – It IS effective

M. Larry Litwin, APR, Fellow PRSA

Hone your networking skills now. Here’s start from M. Larry Litwin, APR, Fellow PRSA.

Networking begins with a firm handshake, a look into the eyes and exchange of business cards. It is an important step in anyone’s personal [job seeking] plan that could lead to an interview and first “real” job.

To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com

Portfolio Advice

To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com

Portfolios…

With the trend toward brevity, my suggestion is…Limit your portfolio to you best “stuff.”

A three-ring binder still works. Your first page should be a brief applicant statement, similar to the one on your resume. That resume should be next, followed by examples of results-oriented products – carryout tactics that made it into the media or into targeted public’s hands.

They would include (in this order – from the simple to the more complex) a media alert, (hard) news release, a strong (soft) feature, newsletters (hardcopy and/or electronic), and such one-page publications as fliers, posters, inline e-mail attachments, etc.

Be careful not to overwhelm the recipient. Keep it as simple as possible (KISS).

And…if you have excellent products and want to knock the socks off a prospective employer, leave behind a copy of your portfolio – not a hardcopy and not on a CD, but a flash drive version.

You may not get a job with that person’s organization right away, but you will definitely be remembered for your work, ingenuity and outside the circle thinking. Be sure you have business cards to leave behind with your portfolio.

Other advice is welcome at:

larry@larrylitwin.com

Ready, Set, Resume

By M. Larry Litwin, APR, Fellow PRSA

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

          Timing for a PRomo article about resumes couldn’t be better. As the new school year started, the world was celebrating “International Update Your Resume Month.” Who would have thought?

          How big a deal is the resume? Recently, on NPR [National Public Radio], experts agreed. “It’s the biggest deal. That’s what opens the door to the interview,” said Louis Barajas, finance expert and author.

          “If you don’t stick out like a sore thumb, if you don’t push yourself in front of everybody else, you won’t even get through the front door.”

          According to Laura DeCarlo of Career Directors International, “It’s completely an issue of whether you are going to stand out from the pack of what could be hundreds – even a thousand candidates.”

          How do you standout? First and foremost, applicants must sell themselves – emphasizing what they’ve done and how well they have done it. And, they have to do it in 15 to 20 seconds.

          Are you up to the challenge?

[  ]   Be a storyteller in few words. Help the employer recognize how you are above the competition with the same or similar skills and experience set.

[  ]   Use key words [scannable – meaning, keys words recognizable by certain computer software] that the prospective employer might be looking for. Many times, they’ll jump right off a firm or organization’s website. “The biggest problem I see with most people looking for jobs,” says Barajas, “is that they haven’t done enough research on the company or the position. They’re not using the words that the employer is looking for.”

[  ]   Customize your resume for the employer and position. Ask yourself the question, “If I were hiring, what would I be looking for.”

[  ]   Proofread, proofread, proofread. Typos can turn the perfect resume into an office joke. [How many times has a public relations agency received a resume with the word public missing a key letter? Do not place your trust in spell check.

          Now some strategies and tactics that will get you noticed:

[  ]   Ditch the “objective.” Polish your resume by including a summary paragraph [just under your personal information] stating what you bring to the table, qualifications, experience and examples of a job well done. It should be succinct and contain buzzwords human resource managers look for –many of the same key message points you would include in an elevator speech. If that statement can be attributed to a third party, all the better. Here is an example:

Applicant Statement: My professor/advisor (Anthony J. Fulginiti) describes me as “mature beyond her years, articulate, well tailored and polished, loyal, has a passion for the profession, outstanding writer, and a skilled organizer and strategic thinker.” It is my dream to bring those qualities, passion and dedication to ELLE’s readers – just as I do the residents of Cherry Hill. My zest for knowledge and new challenges is contagious and should appeal to ELLE magazine’s staff and target audience.

[  ]   Do not exaggerate. Even recent graduates should be able to list positive outcomes on their resumes without stretching the truth.

[  ]   On entry-level resumes, present your college experience – including PRaction and PRomo. Highlight PRSSA, AdClub, AdDyamics and other results-oriented activities, and note if you attended college on a scholarship. Include summer jobs, highlight internships and jobs relevant to your degree.

[  ]   If your resume is two pages [do not go over two], and many PRSSA students will go over two pages, be sure to include contact information on the bottom right side of page two. One never knows if a hard version gets separated.

          In response to whether a resume should be one or two pages: According to NPR and its guests, “Some people are adamant that the resume should be only one page. Then others say, ‘Well, if you really want to let people know the breadth of your experience, then, of course, you should take two.”

          If you’ve ever wondered what terms employers search for, here are results of a recent CareerBuilder.com study:

Problem-solving and decision-making skills (50 percent)

Oral and written communications (44 percent)

Customer service or retention (34 percent)

Performance and productivity improvement (32 percent)

Leadership (30 percent)

Technology (27 percent)

Team-building (26 percent)

Project management (20 percent)

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

Philadelphia Sports Teams – Litwin gets some “ink” – in conjunction with the Sport Industry Research Center at Temple University

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Philly fans ranks Cowboys as greatest rival
Philadelphia Daily News
Larry Litwin, of Berlin, NJ, said the rivalry could have something to do with “that big star” the Cowboys wear. Litwin says that somehow his daughter Julie

 Fans rank Merrill Reese as Philly’s No. 1 play-by-play voice
Philadelphia Daily News
In a follow-up interview to the survey, Larry Litwin, of Berlin, NJ, said that “Merrill is not afraid to criticize when need be.

 
Phillies color commentator Larry Andersen in the booth before a
Philadelphia Daily News
According to Larry Litwin, of Berlin, NJ, “the chemistry between Larry and Franzke gets better and better.” Litwin adds that “LA is as close as you could