Doh! Caught by red light traffic camera.

[Zap]

I noticed that the yellow lights are much shorter now that it's enforced by camera than before.

Yup, common "trick" to increase revenues.

I always thought those type of tickets had to have a face picture as well....
Under the logic that the ticket goes to the registered user, shouldn't all tickets go to the registered car owner?

Around here they consider it like a parking ticket. Just a fine, no points, goes to registered owner.

 

[Evadman]

I go though a camera controlled intersection every day, and about 50% of the time (at least at night) it takes my picture. The flash is annoying, and I always worry that I am goign to get a ticket I can't fight in the mail, even though I come to a complete stop. There are also a ton of accidents at the light now. I have personally seen 11 since the camera was put up last year, when I saw exactly zero in the preceding 15 years.

Red light cameras (or at least that one) raises accident rates, and is only there for revenue. They are a stupid idea. If money is needed, just raise taxes and be done with it so I can place my annoyance in the right spot instead of putting folks in danger.

 

[Qacer]

http://beta2.tbo.com/news/news/2010/jun/17/ha-attorney-challenge-your-red-light-ticket-ar-34665/

Like others have pointed out here, it is possible to fight this in court just to clear one's name. However, it's probably just better to pay up and tell the other half to avoid red light intersections. Hah.

 

[SonicIce]

bottom line is the purpose is to generate revenue. safety is claimed to be the purpose but sometimes they illegally shorted yellow light times in order to trap more motorists. this will cause you to either speed up or slam on your brakes which is dangerous.

the company ATS (American Traffic Solutions) uses devious tactics to promote them like posing as a citizen commenter "W Howard" on news articles promoting them and making websites (wrongonred.org in response to anti-camera wrongonred.com) supporting them while hiding who the creator of the website was. ATS CEO was called out on this and made a fool of himself in the interview. you cannot trust anything they say.

 

[Freshgeardude]

I've been camera's twice but never sent something in the mail.

Both times, I was making a left turn on a yellow and it turned red after I crossed the line.

The cameras are BS. They cause problems in the name of justice, and but with the intent of revenue

 

[foghorn67]

I go though a camera controlled intersection every day, and about 50% of the time (at least at night) it takes my picture. The flash is annoying, and I always worry that I am goign to get a ticket I can't fight in the mail, even though I come to a complete stop. There are also a ton of accidents at the light now. I have personally seen 11 since the camera was put up last year, when I saw exactly zero in the preceding 15 years.

Red light cameras (or at least that one) raises accident rates, and is only there for revenue. They are a stupid idea. If money is needed, just raise taxes and be done with it so I can place my annoyance in the right spot instead of putting folks in danger.

My town put up 4 of them in major intersections. The busiest. They said it was for safety and our concern. Bullshit.
Last year, they took them down because they weren't making any revenue. And then they realized they put their foot in their mouths.
Yeah, they never had our safety a concern. It was all about money.
And yes, same story. I got to see a few people get smacked because people dove on the brakes.

 

[Texashiker]

I was at work, which is 10 miles away, when this happened.

Plead not guilty and request a bench trial.

Bring statement from employer that you were at work at the time.

If your not guilty, stand up and say so.

Even if it was your spouse, lots of states that laws on the books where spouses can not be forced to testify against each other.

 

[RockinZ28]

Man fuck CA.

California Considers Bill to Shorten Yellow Times
California Senate committee considers bill to lower speed limits by 5 MPH and shorten intersection yellow times.

Speed TrapThe amount of yellow warning time at California intersections would drop along with speed limits under a bill being considered by the state legislature. The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on Assembly Bill 529, a proposal that re-writes the state's speed trap law so that cities would be able to round down all speed limits after conducting a traffic study. The measure passed the full Assembly by a 77 to 0 vote on May 19.

California has a strict rule prohibiting the use of radar guns on roads where the speed limit has not been established according to the 85th percentile speed of traffic. Engineering studies have shown that using this means of setting the limit at the prevailing speed of free-flowing traffic provides for maximum safety. Municipalities dislike this requirement because it limits their ability to set lower speed limits and rely instead on heavy police enforcement.

Under current law, jurisdictions must set the speed limit at 35 MPH if the study shows traffic is moving at, for example, 34 MPH. The limit must be rounded to the nearest 5 MPH increment. A locality can only reduce the limit to 30 MPH if it can document a specific safety hazard that is not readily apparent to drivers. The proposed legislation would allow municipalities to lower that speed limit to 30 MPH without any justification needed by rounding down 5 MPH. The rounding change will be made in California's manual on uniform traffic control devices, which also establishes the minimum duration of yellow timing based upon the posted speed limit.

A city that lowers its 35 MPH speed limits to 30 MPH may also legally shorten its yellow times from 3.6 seconds to 3.2 seconds. While this 0.4 second difference may seem minor, it would generate a significant amount of additional revenue from red light camera tickets that run between $450 to $505 each. The Texas Transportation Institute concluded in 2004 that yellows shorter by a second than the ITE recommended amount generated a 110 percent jump in citations (view report). The vast majority of those extra violations happened within the first 0.25 seconds (see chart).

If passed by the committee Tuesday and adopted by the state Senate, the bill would go to Governor Jerry Brown (D) for his signature. A copy of the legislation is available in a PDF file at the source link below.

Source: PDF File Assembly Bill 529 (California State Legislature, 5/3/2011)

 

[waggy]

damn that needs to be fought. EVERY study shows that lowering the yellow increases accidents. a longer yellow is safer

that is all about generating money.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

My wife got caught with one of these while driving my car. She was convinced that she actually stopped...until she watched the video.

On the response to the ticket I simply put that I was not at fault, since I'm no a woman and it's clear from the picture that a woman was driving the car.

I think in CA there are some laws that say the owner is at fault if another driver cannot be named or that the owner is required to put give the proper name of the person driving their car or something like that...but I don't really care.

My logic is that I wasn't driving the car, so they can't give me an infraction for failure to stop. And since I'm not the police or procecuter, I'm not going to do their investigation for them.

I'm also figuring that they just drop the cases where people fight them...it's not worth their time to go through the court exercise.

It's been a year an I haven't heard, so i'm guessing that they just dropped it.

 

[cronos]

damn that needs to be fought. EVERY study shows that lowering the yellow increases accidents. a longer yellow is safer

that is all about generating money.

That's messed up.

I have traffic engineering background and this is pissing me off big time.

 

[bobdole369]

Not that I condone blatant disregard for safety, traffic laws, or common sense, but here in America's Wang we are undergoing a Renaissance of sorts when it comes to red lights, cameras, and the law. Seems that a state law requires that someone certify the photo/video and that someone is not able to be subpoenaed, thus you cannot face your accuser in court. Also that person is not an officer of the law. Also the state law specifically prohibits this practice, thus municipalities have taken it upon themselves to consider red light violations "municipal code violations", vs moving violations.

Thus no points, and a "reduced fine". So most recently a circuit court judge ruled that the officer issued ticket section of the traffic law in the constitution was unconstitutional and thus struck down. He claims you can't have 2 penalties for the same violation and he's right. Either they stop cops from issuing them, or they take out all the cameras.

If you were here I'd tell you to fight it, you'll win easily. But anywhere else is a crapshoot - and of course this is not legal advice and I'm not a lawyer.

 

[HAL9000]

Went through a red light... no pause, no stopping. = Problem.

 

[EagleKeeper]

MAYBE. You can fight it if it comes in your name. All you have to do is prove that it wasn't YOU driving...you don't have to tell them who actually was.

If vehicle not reported as stolen, it will still be your responsibility as owner of vehicle. The violation code will address that issue. Potentia exists for vehicle to be impounded

 

[EagleKeeper]

All you have to do is insist that it wasn't you and you're off the hook. You even have an alibi.

The vehicle does not have alibi though. Registration could be suspend if fine not paid and/or impounded. Escape loopholes that average person comes up with will be handled

 

[AstroManLuca]

yay no red light cameras in minnesota

 

[Vic Vega]

Yup, I ran a red light and got fined as running on red.

FTFY

 

[CZroe]

The vehicle does not have alibi though. Registration could be suspend if fine not paid and/or impounded. Escape loopholes that average person comes up with will be handled

I have specifically read about jurisdictions where all you have to do is show/state that it was not you in the vehicle and it ends there.

 

[cherrytwist]

Doppleganger Defense

 

[Balt]

They have red light cameras and speed cameras here.

And yeah, it's all about the $$$. Just a couple of months ago it was revealed that cops were getting paid huge sums of money to work on off-duty details that would check pictures to issue the tickets.

 

[1sikbITCH]

Here they have started putting them in front of schools, and if you drive 12mph over the speed limit, it triggers the camera and you get a ticket.

I don't see how it's a bad thing when used in that respect, even though I have received 4 or 5 speeding tickets in the mail in the last 12 months or so 🙂

You break the law, you pay the fine.

 

[waggy]

Here they have started putting them in front of schools, and if you drive 12mph over the speed limit, it triggers the camera and you get a ticket.

I don't see how it's a bad thing when used in that respect, even though I have received 4 or 5 speeding tickets in the mail in the last 12 months or so 🙂

You break the law, you pay the fine.

i can understand that. I don't back how they arer used at stop lights.

to many reports of them reducing yellow timers, putting them at safe intersections and ignoring ones that are more dandgerous.

In a suburb of chicago last summer the place that mails out the tickets was giving tickets to people making turns on red (wich was legal) they were supposed to go through each ticket and not send those out. the company said that would cost to much. it was cheaper to send everyone a ticket and let them fight in court. of course the city didn't say anything until it hit all the papers. then many were pissed to find not even cops were looking at them. the city threatened to pull all of them out if they wouldn't do it right. The company said in a interview the city already has a signed contract. not s ure what eventually happened though.

 

[RedRooster]

That one is a tough one. I do that too, no use wearing out the brakes and wasting gas accelerating if there's no one walking nearby or coming in your lane.

Our city is just starting to get those timers that show the countdown until the light is going to turn yellow. Man, that is SO handy, every single light in the world should have that. You'd have nobody running red lights anymore, at least nobody who'se smart.

 

[alkemyst]

Use your brakes people and then look where you are driving. I have near misses at least once a week by asshat rolling through a stop then looking over their shoulder for others behind them.

Unfortunately, I already am in the roadway crossing with my dogs and one is a 12 year old tripawd so can't really move fast or on my bike and they are driving looking backwards.

 

[alkemyst]

i can understand that. I don't back how they arer used at stop lights.

to many reports of them reducing yellow timers, putting them at safe intersections and ignoring ones that are more dandgerous.

In a suburb of chicago last summer the place that mails out the tickets was giving tickets to people making turns on red (wich was legal) they were supposed to go through each ticket and not send those out. the company said that would cost to much. it was cheaper to send everyone a ticket and let them fight in court. of course the city didn't say anything until it hit all the papers. then many were pissed to find not even cops were looking at them. the city threatened to pull all of them out if they wouldn't do it right. The company said in a interview the city already has a signed contract. not s ure what eventually happened though.

based on how you post, I think you see the world different from reality.