Posted on 02/10/2008 6:34:59 AM PST by kellynla
Thousands of drivers who ignore their red light camera tickets are receiving an unusual giftfrom Orange County courts:
Their cases disappear.
No fine. No points on their driving records.
Meanwhile, the drivers who face up to their mistake and respond to their tickets face a $346 fine, driving school and sometimes, a spike in their insurance rates.
"It's not a real good message to get out there to the public," Superior Court CEO Alan Slater conceded in an interview.
An Orange County Register investigation has found that police and court workers throughout Orange County rarely complete the time-consuming process required to punish red-light violators. Court records indicate that as many as 25,000 motorists have received a free pass since 2004, although records are so vague that calculating an exact number is impossible.
Most police departments do not follow up on unpaid tickets, the Register found, and the court has failed to provide most departments with the information they need to do so. Some departments said they were unaware they needed to do any follow up work at all.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Well, this tells me that if EVERYONE ignored their tickets, then the law would be unenforceable.
And that policy changes means that I have to take an entirely different commute route when my car is in the shop. A good stretch of my commute is on an “ez-tag only” bit of road (no cash payment tolls).
Kafka-esque.
Red tape is all of our own “problem”. And we will all be prosecuted for something, someday.
With these revenue tickets from red light cameras, a good chunk of change (upwards of HALF) the money goes to a private company.
It’s good to be the king.
In every other court in this land, it is the other way around. The burden is on the accuser to prove that I AM guilty.
I would welcome all comments on what to do. My son, who drives a vehicle registered to my husband, received a red-light violation ticket for making a right turn on red at the SB Bristol/Segerstrom intersection. He says he didn’t know there were cameras there - I don’t live in the area and don’t know myself. The fine is $365ish - a lot of money! In the first picture you can see his brake lights are on, the second shows him making the right turn, the third his face and the last one the reg. #. The notice says this all happened at 3:29 on Feb. 16 however it looks really dark in the photographs and its very light out at that time and I know it was taken in the afternoon and not the early hours of the morning because he came home that day at 6pm and we went into LA to see a show that evening. What can my husband do to contest this ticket? We can’t afford to pay this extortionate fine? Would welcome any suggestions. Thanks.
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