Red light cameras can catch drivers speeding or running red lights.
Tickets that are issued based on traffic light camera photos have become increasingly common across the United States. These tickets generate revenue for the city or county and police departments that install them. Remote aerial cameras are triggered at intersections. Private contractors and police officers review thousands of photos. A decision is made whether to issue a traffic ticket based on one or more photos. In some cases, the identity of the vehicle driver cannot be verified but the license plate can be identified. People have had mixed success contesting tickets issued based on red light camera evidence. Your odds of having the ticket overturned depend on the situation and how you contest it.
Instructions
1. Verify the authenticity of your ticket. You need to contact the traffic court in the county or city that issued the ticket and verify that you have received a genuine traffic ticket. False tickets that have the appearance of real tickets have been sent out by various local government bodies and agencies for a variety of purposes. These include information gathering and as part of identify theft scams. These are not real tickets and you do not have to pay them.
2. View the traffic camera image that caused you to receive the ticket. Your ticket will provide information on do this. If it does not, request the images from the court or police agency. Verify that the light is red and that you are the driver of the vehicle in question at the time the ticket was given.
3. Determine your basis for contesting the ticket and document your evidence. If you do not have valid grounds for contesting a ticket that you deserved, you should pay it. If you do have grounds for contesting the ticket, you should inform the police department/court handling the ticket. For example, telling them that were not the person driving -- this will only work if you are not the person driving. The police will ask you to identify the driver. Do not give false information and do not give them any information you are not 100 percent certain is accurate. The police have other ways of determining who the driver of a vehicle is if they have a clear photo of the driver's face.
4. Go to court. Your ticket gives you an official court date. Go to court and present your evidence to the judge. The judge will decide if your traffic ticket was justified or not. If the judge does not feel the ticket was justified, it should be dismissed. If he rules against you, you face a fine and court costs. Your state will likely calculate points against your drivers license. Your license could be suspended if you exceed the limit. And your insurance company will find out. Your insurance rates could go up.
Tags: contesting ticket, traffic ticket, driver vehicle, grounds contesting, grounds contesting ticket, issued based, light camera
