<div><p>Today we're opening the Shared Case Files again to look at a strange story we're calling "Red Light Scam-era." The hero of this bizarre case is Mats Järlstrí¶m, an Oregon man who went looking for answers after <strong>his wife got a red light ticket</strong>.</p><p>Mats paid the fine, but his wife's story made him curious. After a little digging - and we mean <em>very little</em>, he guesses it took just 40 minutes - Mats discovered <strong>a flaw in every single traffic camera</strong> which means they could be issuing <a href="https://www.shared.com/elderly-couple-were-sold-a-lemon-so-they-came-up-with-the-perfect-revenge/" target="_blank">unfair</a> tickets.</p><p>You might think this discovery made him famous, or earned a prize, but 4 years later nothing has changed and Mats has received <strong>a second ticket</strong>.</p><div><figure><a href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/29/engineer_fined_for_talking_about_math/" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/mats_jarlstrom.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/mats_jarlstrom_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/29/engineer_fined_for_talking_about_math/" target="_blank">The Register</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p>Mats' discovery is very simple - we promise, there's no math in this explanation - when you see a yellow light you can either drive through it or stop. Those are the only 2 options a red light camera accounts for.</p><p>The problem is you can also turn right on a red light, which takes longer and isn't illegal. Mats discovered that <strong>cameras aren't programmed to account for right turns</strong>, meaning lots of people get <a href="https://www.shared.com/elderly-couple-were-sold-a-lemon-so-they-came-up-with-the-perfect-revenge/" target="_blank">tickets</a> for doing something completely legal. Mats says this flaw is in the equation used by every single red light camera, making this a massive problem.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/new_traffic_timing.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/new_traffic_timing_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">Mats says this equation would make red light cameras much fairer.<cite>Mats Järlstrí¶m</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>Mats tried to explain this to his local government but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/business/traffic-light-fine.html">claimed</a> he was "laughed out of City Hall."</p><p>Instead of giving up, Mats released the information in a mass email to politicians and the media. <strong>But that only made things worse</strong>.</p><div><figure><a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwigv5XWhvXTAhVDVWMKHfFUD3oQjxwIAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnd.com%2F2017%2F04%2Fengineer-fined-500-for-calling-himself-engineer%2F&psig=AFQjCNH8XkQzb9b-dSQeO8etqswN0IfOVw&ust=1495045913910233" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/Mats_Jarlstrom.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/Mats_Jarlstrom_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwigv5XWhvXTAhVDVWMKHfFUD3oQjxwIAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wnd.com%2F2017%2F04%2Fengineer-fined-500-for-calling-himself-engineer%2F&psig=AFQjCNH8XkQzb9b-dSQeO8etqswN0IfOVw&ust=1495045913910233" target="_blank">WND</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p>For his trouble Mats got a second fine for $500, this time for <strong>practicing engineering without a license</strong>.</p><p>While Mats studied as an engineer in Sweden, worked as a airplane mechanic and worked in Research and Development for a major tech company, he never got his certification here in the states, even though he called himself an "excellent engineer" in an e-mail about his idea.</p><div><figure><a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwil3cfBhvXTAhUQ52MKHWO3A_kQjxwIAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usnews.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2017-04-26%2Fman-fined-500-for-criticizing-traffic-cameras-with-math&psig=AFQjCNH8XkQzb9b-dSQeO8etqswN0IfOVw&ust=1495045913910233" target="_blank"><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/170426-trafficcamera-editorial.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/170426-trafficcamera-editorial_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/05/170426-trafficcamera-editorial_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></a><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite><a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwil3cfBhvXTAhUQ52MKHWO3A_kQjxwIAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usnews.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2017-04-26%2Fman-fined-500-for-criticizing-traffic-cameras-with-math&psig=AFQjCNH8XkQzb9b-dSQeO8etqswN0IfOVw&ust=1495045913910233" target="_blank">US News and World Report</a></cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>While Mats worries about being fined again, he says it's his "civic duty" to tell the truth, so he'll keep trying.</p><p>"I don't want any money. I just want information to be known about the traffic signals, and how I was treated."</p><p><strong>Share this story if you think his treatment was totally unfair!</strong></p><p>[H/T: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/business/traffic-light-fine.html">NYT</a>]</p></div>