Red Light Camera Ticket

[b-troll]

Ladies and Gents,

I recently received a red light camera ticket from our good friends in PG county. To be honest, I did run it but it was because the road was wet and I judged it safer to coast through the yellow light than to lock up my tires.

Additionally, something deep in my bones chafes at the orwellian idea of an automated system in place of a real police officer.

I'm wondering if I should fight it or just roll over and pay it.

First time poster, long time lurker.

 

[snavematt]

So it was yellow and you got a ticket? Or you were driving too fast for the conditions and couldn't stop safely?

Oh and welcome to the forum

 

[august1410]

Eastern Avenue and Kane Street. Pouring rain. 1985 Crown Victoria. Light changed from yellow to red. Slam on the brakes and have a huge land yacht slide out from under me? Go through and get hit with a $75 ticket?

Well, an accident would have cost me a lot more than $75 bucks.

Pay the ticket.

 

[Boom Boom]

How much is the ticket for? If well under $100, I doubt it's worth taking time out of your life to fight it when it's just a civil matter with zero risk of points on your driving record or insurance penalties. Just pay it.

 

[Imkeenstranger]

yeah I'd just pay it and be done with it.

 

[lx1x]

Pay the ticket. Rain or not, you still got caught running red light.

 

[ColonelHurtz]

I see that black tip 30.06 M2 for sale from time to time.

 

[K31]

Coworker went to court told them he wasn't driving, case dismissed.

 

[leonarddi]

Depending on how much the fine was, i would have just paid it. GL!

 

[m4strmind]

I'd have a hard time not fighting it. As you mentioned you were doing the safe thing

I don't have a lot of faith in MD lately, especially around PG counties.

You remember the state of emergency storm we had with the power outage that knocked out power in large swatches around the state this year?

Yeah... that day -- with red lights out and people swerving around in a mess with stop lights....

I kid you not there were 9 cops in pg county at a 35 mile an hour 4 lane speed trap pulling people over. I didn't get a ticket, but everyone else around me did. I assume they were county cops but they might have been state. If they were really to protect and serve they would have been flagging traffic through the disaster.

I've honestly lost a lot of faith in MD cops sense then. I do know there are some good ones out there though. But i think the state/counties makes it harder for them to their job correctly.

Its made me look forward to the automated cars that wont speed or run red lights. I wonder how they will try to tax people then.

 

[mopar92]

Fight it and ask to face your accuser in court.

 

[LCPIWB]

b-troll it is your choice to fight it or not.
I am with you on the idea of robots writing me tickets.

I do not know the details of your situation, but start reading up on the law.
I am currently fighting a ticket "issued" by Baltimore city for the camera at Eastern Avenue and Kane Street like august1410.
I say "issued" because accourding to MD statues the ticket must be issued by an officer in the jurisdiction where the camera is place. Although the "ticket" has an officer's signature on the citation it does not say he issued it, it only says "Yes I see a violation of statute XYZ". I am leaving out alot of details, but I went to court and was questioning all the details of the citation and the judge was like "So you want to question the officer?". I said "Of course, it is my right according the Maryland constitution."
The biggest tip off was the ticket is "issued" by the Office of Revenue collection, which by the way has the same address as my water bill.

The maximum fine is $100, so I am not satisfied until I have used up at least $100 of my tax payer dollars paying the officer and judge trying to force this peice of unconstitutional crap down my throat.

This is the Baltimore city that was "issuing" citations "signed" and "verified" by a dead cop for at least 6 months. (google it).

Edit:
Anyhow waiting for additional court date. Citation was Feb of this year. First court date was August, waiting on next court date.

 

[TyFromMD]

Fight it, as a matter of principal, unless you like simply giving money away.

 

[wlc]

I did run it but it was because the road was wet and I judged it safer to coast through the yellow light than to lock up my tires.

If you had to lock up your tires to stop when you saw yellow, you must of been speeding also

 

[Mooseman]

My time is worth something. I would not waste my time fighting a ticket with no points.

 

[K31]

Of course signals are always timed correctly to give enough time to safely stop even under dry, sunny conditions.

 

[FFMike]

Unless you can prove that the timing was incorrect for the light/camera you might just as well say "guilty".... Pay the fine and get past it. You will pay more for a lawyer to try and beat it.

 

[Second Amendment]

3....2......1......the loneranger is here!

 

[Ganegrei]

Yeah if you go into court and tell the judge that you ran the red light because you did not want to risk stopping short on a wet road, he is going to tell you that you were going to fast.

 

[obsolete]

The real problem is that the red light and speed camera violations are charged as civil violations. That means the standard of proof for the County is "more likely than not" rather than "beyond a reasonable doubt." 51% is a pretty low hurdle to cross....and it's a pretty clear effort to run around the 6th Amendment. Jurisdictions that were charging traffic rather than civil had to abandon their programs entirely after Melendez-Diaz.