OK I(actually my Daughter) got on of those "Red Light Camera" "Tickets". Any Advice...

03 May 2012 | US Navy Vet

[US Navy Vet]

...on how to fight it?

[Navy Patriot]

I thought this was the Internet.

You thought wrong, this is Free Republic.

[Ronald_Magnus]

Anybody tried this product? From the website: "A majority of red light & speed cameras utilize a strong flash to photograph the license plate on your car. Once sprayed on your license plate, PhotoBlocker’s special formula produces a high-powered gloss that reflects the flash back towards the camera. This overexposes the image of your license plate, rendering the picture unreadable. With PhotoBlocker, your license plate is invisible to traffic cameras yet completely legible to the naked eye." http://www.phantomplate.com/photoblocker.html

[cornfedcowboy]

Send them a photo of a check.

[ataDude]

There is NO radar detector (period) that can save you from a laser gun. When the detector goes off, it’s too late.

I have three of the finest detectors on the planet... two Valentine Ones and one Escort. None will save you from laser.

There are, I hear, some laser jammers which work well. I don’t have any, though.

[oh8eleven]

the car is still guilty and can be towed
Well like I said - your (local) results may vary.

[Hoffer Rand]

if the state was really interested in safety, they could lengthen the duration of the yellow light, not shorten it, as was done to the lights with cameras in a jurisdiction near me. They could also lengthen the delay between one direction going red and the other green...

The problem with that is that human nature being what it is, those who like to "cut it close" rationalize cutting it closer and closer, because "well, there's going to be a delay before the other light turns green anyway, so I can still make it" or " well, the yellow is going to stay yellow longer, so I can speed up and zip through." Right up until they rely on gaming the system one too many times and hit somebody, usually at a fairly high rate of speed, since they're trying to "beat" an already turned light. Extending the gaps just encourages more people to try their hands at "cutting it close," because most people are lazy and impatient and don't like to wait. I'm not a fan of traffic cameras, but extending the times just encourages more people to run lights, because it gives them a wider margin for error.

[Trailerpark Badass]

I haven't noticed that.

In a city near me, when the yellow light times were lengthened back to state engineering standards, the cameras produced so little revenue, an opt-out clause with the cameras' operator (a British firm, BTW) was triggered.

And all studies done that I've read showed that accidents increased at intersections with red light cameras. I suppose a simpleton would say well, they're less dangerous rear-enders, but, well, that's idiotic.

[luvbach1]

Agree with your post #80.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Studies have found that jurisdictions that implement red light cameras will usually also shorten the duration of yellow lights around the same time.

Yep.

Georgia passed a law in the last couple of years requiring traffic lights with cameras had to follow state engineering standards.

When the city of Norcross in Gwinnett County did that the revenue produced by the cameras dropped so much, it didn't even cover the camera operator's fee. Last I heard the operator was studying ways to increase revenue from the cameras(??!!).

[mongrel]

This site is California specific, but also has a lot of good general information. http://www.highwayrobbery.net/

I believe Freepers should fight red light camera tickets as they are an overreach of government and do not contribute road safety in any way. It has been documented that many cities shorten yellow lights to unsafe lengths. As locals become aware, they’re doing sudden stops and causing numerous rear-end collisions from the unaware. Check out this article from Dick Armey’s office: http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/armeyreport.pdf

[Hoffer Rand]

I agree they ought to keep yellow lights at state engineering standards. I also agree that accidents increase at intersections where they have cameras. That’s why I’m opposed to them (along with the blatant money grab issue). I thought you were advocating that lights should be set to a time a lot longer than state standards indicate. I think that’s playing with fire. It appears I misread your original post. I apologize.

[teeman8r]

visit your council and jot down the license plate numbers of all the councilpersons who voted for this...

then, photoshop license plates of all of them and print them out and place them on similar cars of the councilpersons...

run a redlight with these tags affixed to the car while holding a colt 45 bottle in front of your face atleast once a month...

repeat when necessary.

good luck.

t

[Ratman83]

It never was about safety it was always money.

[OldGoatCPO]

They teach young inexperienced drives to stop or it will cost them. I do not like cameras, dealt with them in England and Brazil. But after a couple of speeding tickets even a dumba$$ like me figured out it was cheaper to slow down.

[zeugma]

My advise is to take a shotgun and whack every red-light camera you can find.

[CanuckYank]

There’s a HUGE difference between RUNNNIG a red light, whether intentional or not and creeping around a corner with an incomplete total stop before doing so. There’s also a difference between running a red light and not stopping fully before tripping the camera.

The point is that it is well documented that:

(a) these cameras do not necessarily reduce accidents (some have increased rear-enders due to overly cautious sudden stopping),
(b) the gubmints in charge INTENTIONALLY adjust the yellow length downwards to increse violations,
(c) probably the same for the “inter-phase delay” (that period when ALL directions are RED) which is the best way to reduce unintentional red-light accidents (intentional ones cannot be prevented, anymore than intentional homicides can)

The bottom line is that any of these unintended infraction recording devices (red light cams, speed cams, in-vehicle black box recorders - coming to ANY new car in a few years) are unconstitutional and are just one more inch towards total control of the populace.

I have reached the point where I no longer believe that more than a few percent of USA residents can get through a single 24 hour period without violating several Local, State, and/or Federal Laws let alone the millions of “regulations” from the buggers in the alphabet agencies like EPA, DOE, DOS,TSA etc, etc, etc.

Just making it more and more impossible to be a law-abiding citizen.

[zeugma]

I have a hunch a whole lot of those cameras get shot from long distances by unhappy customers.
Not that I’m advocating that of course. :-)

That's exactly what I advocate. Better yet, google "gatso britain". You'll find lots of great ideas for what these things deserve.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Yes, I think we all agree that the state is being disingenuous when they present these as a safety enhancement.

[Auntie Mame]

I got one, in California.

I studied up on it, and fought it and won, well, in a sense won because the cops saw it was going to be an incredible ordeal to defend their ticket they dismissed my case.

I started out going here and reading reading reading:

http://www.highwayrobbery.net/index.htm

Also, there’s a good book that I checked out of the library, go to Amazon and search for it.

Then this is what I did in order:
1. Called the ticketing police department and set an appointment to view the footage and get my “late time.” (If she reads that website she’ll know what “late time” is)
2. Asked for copies of the footage while at the police department and they said I’d need to request it in a letter, which I went home and wrote.
3. In the mean time I started spending my lunch hour, which I changed to 2:00-3:00 p.m. at traffic court to get a feel for what was going on there. — this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!

And there’s more but if your daughter wants to put in the time, and if her ticket is $500 like mine was, it’s worth it, you can beat these.

Getting out of this ticket was one of the greatest things I’ve done. It’s been a couple years and I’m still bragging about it. Your daughter can feel this good, too, if she wants to.

[rightly_dividing]

Thats what I thought.