Fines for Red Light Camera Tickets Going Up?

Do you think the fines for red lights are already too high? According to the State of California Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, the base fine amount for a Red Light Ticket is $400.00. However, if you have received a ticket you know that additional costs add up to about $497.  The base cost for the same type of ticket last year would have yielded $380.00. The $20.00 increase, added to the already high ticket fine for a red light camera, is just another reason that many California motorists are opting to their fight red light camera ticket instead of just paying it.

The cost of your actual ticket will of course be more than the base fine after added court fees. For example, a court security fee of $30.00 could be added and a conviction assessment of $35.00 could be added in addition to the base bail.

On top of the fine increase from last year there are certain counties in California (including Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno County just to name a few) that are allowed by law to impose a fine which is greater than the base fine amounts listed in the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule and thus the reason fines are almost $500. 

Blog contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.  If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.TicketBust.com or call us at (800) 850-8038. For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689. For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038.

Safer Streets L.A. has raised the pertinent question of whether photo enforcement is a legitimate use of city and law enforcement resources considering the recent acknowledgement by the LAPD and LADOT that intersections have been made safer due to signal timing enhancements alone. Safer Streets L.A. and its supporters will be providing public comment as to why the contract should not be extended.

• Effect of Extending PRL Contract 3 Months
• Immediate cost of $ $901,539.00 (Vendor and LAPD/DOT)
• Overall Loss of $22,000 (after income from tickets many months later)
• Loss To Local Economy: $1,072,861.00+ (In ticket costs alone. Additional losses to the economy from higher insurance premiums.)
• Cost for 30 day warning period $0.00 (Vendor pays this cost. Need warning period if system moved to new locations anyway.)
• No Improvement in Safety (Accidents were eliminated by original engineering countermeasures, Cameras not put at most dangerous intersections)
• 75% of Tickets for Rolling Right Turns (97% at some intersection approaches)*
• Violations can be further reduced by lengthening yellow light .3 - .7 seconds at minimal cost

3 Month Projections for Contract Extension

Receipts due from Superior Court	$ 1,072,861.00
Reporters Salary Fund Deductions at 18%	$  (193,114.98)
Estimated Revenue from RLC Program	$   879,746.02
Vendor Costs	$   691,194.00
Labor (LADOT & LAPD Direct)	$   210,345.00
LADOT Infrastructure Cost Amortization	$                 -
Total costs	$   901,539.00
Net Income (Loss)	$    (21,792.98)

*Citation Data from LAPD
**Costs and revenue projections verified by Controller’s office.

The Safer Streets LA studies can be viewed and downloaded for free at www.saferstreetsla.org/reports. 

The Connecticut General Assembly has never approved any of the bills offered in the past that would enable cities and towns to install cameras at red lights and collect fines by mailing tickets to violators. However, a new bill would authorize red light cameras in 13 municipalities with populations of 60,000 or more, and would fine motorists at least $124 per ticket. The bill has made a steady advance, winning two legislative committees' approval so far due to strong lobbying support and lack of funds in the State budget.  Read more. 

Unusual Practice Used by Sacramento Superior Court for Those Wanting to Contest a Red Light Camera Ticket in Writing

In California, anyone who receives a ticket for a traffic infraction can have the option to fight the ticket without going to court through a process called a Trial by Written Declaration. This is authorized by the California Vehicle Code, under section 40902 (a) (1). For those who receive a red light camera ticket, contesting the ticket through mail is a lot more appealing then showing up in person in court where there is an officer with a binder from the camera company who will testify on the workings of the red light camera.

When a person contacts a court to request a Trial by Declaration, the court will send you the necessary state approved forms for a Trial by Written Declaration (TR-205) and instructions. However if your red light camera ticket is filed with the Superior Court of Sacramento, this court tries to make it more difficult for you to contest your red light ticket with a Trial by Declaration.

The Sacramento Superior Court has a local form called a “Red Light Camera Statement of Identification” which states that “Without admitting guilt, I stipulate that I was the driver of the vehicle pictured in the automated enforcement photograph”. The form itself does not state anywhere that it is mandatory it be filled out, and in fact the court website even only states, “...please complete the Red Light Camera Statement of Identification” (notice the use of the word please instead of must). However, if you don’t complete this you could receive a notice of non compliance or ineligibility after filing your Trial by Declaration paperwork and be dropped from the courts Trial by Declaration Calendar.

If you are not allowed to proceed with a Trial by Declaration then your only option is a court trial (outside of just paying the fine and accepting the points going on your record). But what if it is not convenient for you to appear in court because of your work schedule or the distance you live from the court? What if you were not the driver, but do not know who the driver is or you do know who the driver is but don’t want to turn them in? Should you be prevented from using a Trial by Declaration simply because you cannot state under penalty of perjury that you were the driver?

With this unusual practice, the court is essentially saying that in order to avoid being dropped from the Trial by Declaration calendar, you must at least stipulate to one of the elements of the crime (identity – being the driver) which is an element that is supposed to be proved by the police department issuing the ticket, or your case will not be adjudicated (at least not by Trial by Declaration to which you have a right to contest your ticket by under 40902 (a) (1)). This unusual (dare say unfair or unjust) practice has been in use for some time and those who are concerned about the matter might consider writing to or calling the head judge in Sacramento or the head office for all California courts in San Francisco.

Article contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets. If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.TicketBust.com or call us at (800) 850-8038. For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689. For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038.

Don't buy Navigon's USA Speed Camera database that is missing thousands of locations.  The company describes the camera on the iPhone app as Speed Cameras when 90% of the cameras in the US are red light cameras.  There are only a few hundred speed cameras operational in the US unlike Europe which has upwards of 40,000.  Navigon is licensing a database from RoadTraps.com which says to only have 3,800 locations in the database.  PhotoEnforced.com 2X the number of the locations in our database which we have been sourcing for 5 years longer than any competitor.  We continue to still have by far the most complete database.

Navigon charges $4.99 for the in-app purchase after paying $34.99 for something you can already do for free using Google Maps.  The company is trying to copy its method of doing business in Europe which has ten times more speed cameras than the USA.  They also charge you $14.99 to view traffic which you can also do for free using Google maps on an Android or iPhone. 

Navigon Licenses Data from RoadTraps.com

RoadTraps.com is missing thousands of locations from its North American database.  Yet companies like Navigon, Garmin and TomTom still charge $4.99 USA Speedcams for the In-App Purchase in the iPhone store.   RoadTraps.com is clearly operated by a company in Europe and have poor information.  The United States does not have as many speed fixed traps like Europe.  Navigon charges $44.99 for the North American app and $34.99 for the USA and Canada versions.  I commend their claim that they are the #1 Database in the World.  

 SpeedTrapUSA.com Now What? 

Escort has introduced its SpeedTrapUSA.com website for speed-trap and red-light camera location sharing. The web site gives registered users the ability to receive early-warning notification of approaching speed traps, speed cameras, red-light cameras and other high-target traffic citation areas.  The site is free to use I think if you have a "Defender Account".  Are they trying to go against Congressional requests to remove DUI checkpoint apps from the App store?  Mobile speed traps are the same thing.

I am still amazed these radar detector camera companies like Cobra and Escort are still in business.  Why doesn't Escore or Cobra publish their data sources unlike PhotoEnforced.com who crowdsources?  Do they copy data from us?  Why don't they publish the number of locations in their database?  Makes you a little suspicious doesn't it?  Are these companies afraid of publishing their data for fear that they might be caught stealing data?  We have reached out to these companies several times but they will not return phone calls or emails.  So our quest for non-legal transparency and honesty continues.

PhotoEnforced.com was started 5 years before any other company in 2000 with the vision of creating a public open free database.  We had the vision to make the web site advertising supported from day one because we knew that data would soon become a commodity and we wanted users to contribute to it.  Five years after the radar detector business started to "dry up" due to navigation applications running on smartphones and GPS navigation devices started taking off.  Companies like Cobra and Escort became desperate for a new business model and decided to copy Europe's business model of selling subscriptions to a database they claim is proprietary or selling expensive devices giving away the database.  One huge difference is that Europe has 10X more speed cameras than the US.   How is that data subscription business going competitors when our database is free and we have thousands of monthly contributors?  

Automated Traffic Enforcement of Seatbelt Law

Unlike Arizona, California drivers cannot be ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt if their vehicle is photographed going through a red light. In Arizona for example if a driver is cited for the primary violation of running a red light or speeding, they can also be cited for a secondary violation like a seatbelt ticket or a ticket for expired registration. Californians are still only ticketed the old fashioned way, by an officer, for a seatbelt or expired registration ticket. It's a good thing too, because a red light camera ticket yields upwards of $400.00 plus a point or more on your driving record. To be ticketed for a seatbelt ticket in addition to the red light ticket would yield another $100 plus, as well as a point on your driving record. Drivers should always practice safe driving habits which would include wearing a seatbelt, but for now California drivers can rest easy as they will not be ticketed for a seatbelt ticket by a camera.

Contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.TicketBust.com or call us at (800) 850-8038. For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689. For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038.