mat2hu

So today in the mail I see I got a ticket for running a red. I was making a right turn and the light had turned red right before I made the right. I did not make a full stop before turning so they ticketed me. I want to know If any1 here has been in a similar situation, and if there are any ways to fight this. The name on the ticket says my dads name and license because the car is registered under his name, so my cousin told me for my dad to go to court and tell them that it was not him who ran the light, so the court must dismiss it. Can that work? Also I have researched that there must always be a sign at least 300 feet before the intersection that it is photo enforced, and I know that there is no sign when I was driving up. If any1 here has any experience or any advice please give it immediately. These *******s are charging me 435 dollars for this!

c350_vancouver

$435 ! that's insane.. what city do you live in ?

Carsy

When I went to school in the early 60's they taught us to own up to your misdomeanors & take the punishment like a man. You stuffed up so pay the ticket.

mat2hu

LA, dude if u get into my exact position you will know how bad it feels... it doesn't even feel like i did something wrong thats what I hate! I pretty much had a protected turn but because they didn't put a sign for my side it meant I have to stop first. At least like ok if i knew i was speeding and I knew what i was doing was wrong and i got caught then ya i gotta suck it up. But like this I just feel like no way man. this is bogus

CEB

...one of you is going to pay for the ticket.

The way the laws are written in the US, photo tickets go to the registered owner of the car and the court doesn't care who was driving as these are "no-point" tickets.

I guess you could photos of that intersection and go to court and argue your case, but you'll get laughed out of court and you'll have to pay court costs in addition to the fine.

My advice is for you to obey red light laws.

there is also something that you aren't telling us as red light cameras are designed not to take pictures of cars making a legal turn. Please post a copy of the citation that includes the picture...

Sportstick

mat2hu:

I applaud you for honorably starting to take responsibility in your 3rd sentence....you did not make the stop you know you should have. Your note suggests you are young, and part of growing up is taking full responsibility for one's actions. Don't try to figure out a way around this...you've honestly admitted your fault to the forum...do the same with your dad...and then the court. If you need a part time job to pay it off, so be it. Trust me...one day you will feel more proud of yourself for being an honorable man. Its a relatively inexpensive life lesson which will pay benefits to you if you let it change how you see the difference between right and wrong and what it means to be a honorable man. I deeply hope your Dad won't assist in your avoiding your responsibilities and will support you facing this step in your growth.

joshg1001

welcome to california. They are installing these cameras in all major intersections, and yes it does cost between 400-500 dollars. I thought i got caught by one about 3 weeks ago but it never came in the mail.

after doing some research when i thought i got one, about 80% of red light photo violations are taken on those who do not stop completely when making a turn on red. It is a very profitable violation for the city and state of California.

Some tricks:Instead of just listing them out, i will link you to the website that helps people with this matter.

http://www.highwayrobbery.net/

mat2hu

the problem is first of all a point DOES go on my record, second of all I also didn't think that camera lights could give tickets for running a red on a right turn, but it did! Also I am a very honest person and I see where you are getting at this Sportstick, but I feel like I have learned my lesson and I don't want to have to drive everyday for 18 months thinking that if I get pulled over again for ANYTHING that I am potentially screwed because of my insurance!!!

joshg1001

Oh my second advice is to go to court. because they get so many people going to contest it, they will offer you to take traffic school, and if you admit you were wrong, they will reduce the fine by half.

mdniteangel

Thats pretty much all you can do.. pretty good advice here. I do believe that living in Cali and LA area..its difficult to not get a camera ticket. There one in almost every intersection.

nyca

This is the biggest ripoff in the USA right now, I had no idea the fines in LA were so high. New York City has them and they are coming to long island now. Washington DC has them everywhere. Some cities have tossed them, as the state now has an incentive to make yellow lights shorter at these intersection to get more money. The intersections I go through in NYC where regular drivers know they exist are by far less safe then they were - because you now have people who either slam on their brakes to avoid going through, or who run up on your rear if they are behind you and are the last person through the intersection as they accelerate to try and make sure they aren't photographed. It's a horrible situation.

There is an Iphone GPS app that warns you of these, there are also downloadable POI maps for TomTom nav systems that do the same.

Also, join the National Motorists Association (http://www.motorists.org/) as they lobby to stop these things.

lickem66

Traffic tickets have nothing to do with doing anything wrong. They are just a money making racket (sp?) for the city/state.

Sportstick

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. You condone drivers going through red lights and stop signs without penalty?

Have you lost anyone close to you from a fatal traffic accident?

mat2hu

I'm sorry Sportstick if something like that has happened to you where you lost someone to this, but honestly don't you think that if they charged maybe $200 instead of $435 + $70 for the right to traffic school + ?? cost for actual traffic school that they could still get their point across??? Do I have to pay $600 to learn my lesson, if I only payed $200 I wouldn't learn my lesson?? That's what I have the biggest issue with right now. The more and more I read online, the more these photos are giving tickets for my exact reason I got a ticket because its the most profitable and people expect the least to get ticketed for. Also the fact that like the other person said that yellow lights are being reduced to the minimum to people are slamming on their brakes more or accelerating more creates even more of a chance of an accident. The idea was good as its original purpose of catching people who speed through lights, but this whole right turn thing is just business!

nyca

Until you live in a jurisdiction that uses these cameras, and see how the intersections are managed (short yellows, or failure to extend yellows when that would solve the safety issue) - your comment is out of context. The purpose of these devices is not safety, its to raise money. That's the issue.

Sportstick

mat2hu, Your comments are thoughtful and the issue of the amount of the fine is certainly a reasonable point. I was troubled by the comment which simply said tickets were unrelated to having done something wrong...that writer was not discussing the amount of the fine.

nyca

Everone speeds too. There isn't a single road I travel on where the prevailing speed of traffic isn't higher then the posted limit.

By this definition - we are all "lawbreakers" and "wrong doers" and must be punished.

Sportstick

nyca, I think my point was not understood. The writer which provoked my comment said:

"Traffic tickets have nothing to do with doing anything wrong."

I find that concept unacceptable. I was not discussing how intersections/cameras are managed, but the over-reaching general point the writer was trying to make about tickets, which is fundamentally flawed in my opinion.

mat2hu

yea, including officers and other people in court, but are they being held to the same punishment as we are?

Sportstick

Again, a mis-characterization of the issue. No one has said all must be punished. But, if you are caught breaking the law, the mature and responsible response is to accept the penalty, and not whine and evade.

soldier2304

Just get a lawyer to go to court for you and fix your ****.

As simple as that...

nyca

Sorry, I will not accept state control of my freedoms in the form of passage of laws and regulations that makes criminals of us all.

The state tells us these traffic cameras are for safety - are they? If, after one year of operation, they cannot produce a study that shows accident rates (all accidents, not just the ones they want to count) at the intersection have declined - the camera should be removed. Fair enough? Does that happen? Of course not.

Sportstick

This thread has moved off the original point.

If you are unhappy with the law, the American system's answer is to change that through the ballot box.

Once laws are made, if you violate them, and get caught, there is a penalty. Adults are held responsible and expected to accept that outcome.

The point of this thread was to counsel a young man coming to grips with the concept of individual responsibility for his actions versus attempting to either evade or blame others. It seems mat2hu understands this concept, although is unhappy with the degree of penalty. Unfortunately, others seem to struggle with it further.

A good night to all......

nyca

See the post I made above, join the NMA. The only way to influence these kinds of laws is via lobbying, nothing else will make a difference. It's just going to continue to get worse. Speed cameras, GPS speed enforcement, the UK is even experimenting with GPS systems linked to vehicle throttles to control speed.

pg2373

As a police officer..yes we are held accountable if we are caught speeding w/ the speed enforcement cameras or the red light cameras. This is when we are driving in our cruisers!!!!!! The department I work for punishes us by first paying the fine but also a written reprimand on the first infraction. The second time around, we pay the fine AND get money taken out of our checks for violating departmental policy!!! So YES we do get punished just like regular citizens.