I think I got a red light ticket

"GreenN_Gold" (GreenN_Gold)
06/17/2014 at 14:16 • Filed to: None

It was last night, the timing was very close, but I saw the camera flash go off, leading me to believe I'll be receiving a red light ticket in the mail. I guess all I can do for the time being is wait for it to show up in the mail, and then devise a game plan.

DISCUSSION (15)

ttyymmnn > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 14:25

If they send you a picture of your infraction, send them a picture of a check.

No, don't do that, they don't think it's funny.

GreenN_Gold > ttyymmnn
06/17/2014 at 14:31

I hope they send me the picture. I don't want to go to court to see what the picture looks like.

Jacques L' Autre > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 14:35

Sometimes the lights just go off without any tickets. There's an intersection close to where my parents live that does this. I'm not really sure why, and I think the township is in a lawsuit right now over the legality of the tickets so they aren't even issuing citations.

Milky > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 14:37

Time to get a mask.

IIRC the police followed him and caught him putting on the mask before getting a ticket, but in court it could only proven that time was him and he only had to pay one of his 30-some tickets.

jariten1781 > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 14:38

They flash if you're close to running it then visibly check to make sure you're actually in the intersection (well, they're supposed to). I've been flashed a couple times with nothing coming out of it.

BJ > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 14:41

I don't mean to sound high and mighty, but your best game plan would probably be to start saving up your spare change to pay the ticket...

And remember, be safe out there! :)

JGrabowMSt > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 14:41

only respond if the ticket is issued by a law enforcement agency. Many of these cameras are not run by agencies with amy legal power, so be careful.

Fortunately for me, all but a small handful of cameras in NJ are actually legally in use at this point, and none are anywhere I would normally go to.

I had a coworker get a red light ticket in Arizona several years ago. He noticed it wasnt a ticket iussed by the state, or any local law enforcement agency, and he hasnt heard anything about it, and no, he never responded.

GreenN_Gold > Jacques L' Autre
06/17/2014 at 14:46

I'm hoping for that possible outcome. There are two of these intersections I have to pass through every day, and I see flashes going off all the time (for other cars). This intersection was in a part of town I'm not familiar with. I didn't know there were cameras there. Now I know why the guy to the right of me braked so suddenly and nose dived to a stop. It honestly seemed like a short yellow to me as well, which I know some localities have been accused of.

GreenN_Gold > jariten1781
06/17/2014 at 14:50

I feel like I cleared the intersection before the flash went off, but I'm a human, I could be wrong. There's a reason we have photo finishes for horse racing.

I thought the light had to be red when you entered the intersection anyway. That's at least how they pitched them when they installed them. They stated you would only get a ticket for entering the intersection on red, not for exiting on red.

What's frustrating is I didn't do anything to anyone, yet I see people blocking intersections every day where there are no cameras. They just sit in the middle of an intersection facing a red light, and the cross traffic can't go.

GreenN_Gold > BJ
06/17/2014 at 14:54

If I can get it reduced though, it might be worth it. I'm not a fan of these red light cameras (conflict of interest, no due process, no victims unless the guy behind me rear ends me when I slam on my brakes to avoid a short yellow), and so I don't mind making it a bit of a headache for the system to get my dollars out of me. I believe these things exist strictly for revenue and not in the interest of safety, and actually are somewhat dangerous even.

GreenN_Gold > JGrabowMSt
06/17/2014 at 14:57

I've avoided a parking ticket this way. I noticed it was issued by a company, so I just ignored it. Nothing ever came of it.

jariten1781 > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 15:26

Unless you live somewhere with non-standard rules, your understanding was correct. Ticket should only be issued for entering an intersection when the light is already red. If you enter when it is yellow you are legal even if it turns red during the transit. The cameras will usually take at least 2 pictures. One showing the car prior to the intersection with the light already changed to red and another a split second later with the car in the intersection to show it continued through (that way they don't ticket people who stop but roll a bit over the line). Sometimes the camera will trigger for a number of things like people turning right on red or stopping over the line, but no tickets are supposed to be issued unless it's reviewed by a person who can unequivocally state that the car entered on red and continued through the intersection. Whether or not that was done depends on how well the company contracted to run the cameras does their job.

Also, most (not all) red light cameras are administrative fines not driving offenses. They typically don't go into the normal citation process where you can get in front of a traffic judge to have them reduced or waived due to a good driving record. Because of that, they don't normally have legal weight on your ability to drive (ie no points, no insurance hit), but they can sometimes charge late fees and put you into collections if you don't pay. Be careful about entering the quagmire of these pseudo-legal enforcement things. I'd let someone else fight that battle.

GreenN_Gold > jariten1781
06/17/2014 at 16:29

Thanks for your response. I witness free right turners getting snapped frequently. I think this flash was definitely for me, there were no turners at the time. I'll just have to wait and see if anything shows up in the mail.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > GreenN_Gold
06/17/2014 at 17:06

at least by me, the ticket has a link you go to which shows the pic and a video of you going through the intersection (or not)

Also, sometimes they flash for no reason. A few do that

GreenN_Gold > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
06/17/2014 at 18:52

Well I assume if they bother sending me the link, it's probably an incriminating photo. I think this flash was definitely out to get me. Evil flashes!