Illegal Right Turn & Rolling Right Tickets Defined

The difference between the two types of tickets is huge!   If you made a right hand turn at a red light and were caught by a camera, chances are that the ticket you received in the mail states you violated CVC§21453(a) even though they could have (some argue should have) cited you for CVC§21453(b). For some cities, like Los Angeles, CA most of the revenue is generated by illegal right turns, in fact an LA Times article from December last year reported that according to the Los Angeles Police Department, an estimated 8 in 10 photo tickets were issued for right turns.  Do you wonder police department’s are now issuing tickets under Vehicle code section CVC§21453 (a) regardless of whether or not the motorist was turning right?

Here are both of these sections:

21453 Circular Red or Red Arrow

(a) A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown, except as provided in subdivision (b).

(b) Except when a sign is in place prohibiting a turn, a driver, after stopping as required by subdivision (a), facing a steady circular red signal, may turn right, or turn left from a one-way street onto a one-way street. A driver making that turn shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to any vehicle that has approached or is approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard to the driver, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to that vehicle until the driver can proceed with reasonable safety.

Now, here’s the distinction:

The first section (a) says nothing about right turns, and is basically used for those who go straight through a red light.

The second section (b) essentially says you can turn after stopping if there is no sign prohibiting a turn on red.

So if you made a “California rolling stop” why wouldn’t you be cited for the second section (b) instead of (a) you might ask...

Check out this “Traffic Infraction Penalty Schedule” (from the January 2010 Edition Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules, California Rules of Court, Rule 4,102):

Section: 21453 (a, c)
Offense: “Red” Signal- Vehicular Responsibilities
Total Bail/Fee (Keep in mind the so called “Total Bail” is before certain additional court or other fees that is added and there are 30 counties in CA authorized by law to exceed the total bail/fee):$380.00

Section: 21453 (b)
Offense: “Red” Signal- Vehicular Responsibilities With Right Turn
Total Bail/Fee (Keep in mind the so called “Total Bail” is before certain additional court or other fees that is added and there are 30 counties in CA authorized by law to exceed the total bail/fee):$146.00

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.

Bruce Simon from Palo Alto has filed a class-action lawsuit against the two largest companies who run red light cameras in San Mateo county Redflex and American Traffic Solutions. Simon says they're violating state law by including a so-called "cost neutral" provision in the contracts.  Simon says the camera makers reimburse cities when they can't make enough from tickets to pay for the monthly operational costs. It can't be a money loser for the cities and the companies will make up the difference.  Red light camera operators typically pick intersections which are going to be susceptible to the most tickets, says Simon.  We're going after the private companies that induce these municipalities to get into these contracts as revenue enhancing vehicles, Simon said.  If it's supposed to be about safety and preventing accidents, the revenue aspect shouldn't be as important.

There have been court challenges to the cost neutral clause and as a result several Peninsula cities have stopped using the red light cameras, others are in the process of dropping it, among them is Redwood City.  Another trend seems to be the growing use of right turn cameras or those intersection that monitor if you make a "California Stop".  A California stop is also referred to as a rolling right turn. 

Related articles:
Red light cameras in Redwood City have not resulted in a significant drop in accidents
Redwood City to review use of red light cameras

Photo Enforced tickets from red-light cameras dropped an amazing 75% in April after West Palm Beach stopped enforcing right-turn violations.  The city issued 665 citations in April, down from 2,675 in March, assistant police chief Dennis Crispo said.  This is not surprising as these cameras have become the "cash cows" for cities across the US because they often catch people by surprise by lack of signs and normal drive habits.

After numerous complaints from drivers, West Palm Beach decided to stop issuing fines for right turns April 5. Mayor Lois Frankel was among the right-turn violators fined in March. A new state law that takes effect July 1 officially discourages fines for "prudent" right turns. Turning right on red without coming to a complete stop remains illegal, but the issue is how strictly to enforce it.

West Palm Beach became the first city in Palm Beach County to start issuing fines from three intersections with red-light cameras Feb. 21. The city issued 841 citations in the last eight days of February. Read more

Driving in congested cities throughout the US can be tough enough; dealing with bad drivers, road rage, and stop and go traffic. But the growing use of red light cameras is starting to rub drivers the wrong way. And as the growing need for revenue hits communities everywhere, drivers are stopping and protesting their use.

In February, Priam Rosenburg got a ticket after he was caught on a red light camera. The only problem is he wasn't driving the car. "I was here in my office at the time," Rosenburg said. "I have two witnesses that state that I was in my office."

So Rosenburg spent two hours in front of Aventura's code enforcement protesting the ticket. Out of the twelve people that were there with similar issues, none won their case.

"Unless you have a death certificate saying that you died somewhere before that ticket was issued; maybe then you might have a chance of not paying this," Rosenburg said. And he's not alone in his frustration.

"I hate to say that I told you so but now more people have come to say this is a fee and it's unfair… it's a revenue grab," said Hallandale Commissioner Keith London.

London said Hallandale's lone red light camera is on track to bring in $1.2 million in just one year. Almost all of the citations aren't for speeding, instead London said, "Over 90 percent of those infractions are for right turn on Red." Read More

Photo Enforced Stop Sign Camera

Photo Enforced Stop Sign Camera Sensor

Photo enforced stop sign cameras are in operation in a few locations in California but a growing trend of cities desperate for money may change that soon. Stop sign cameras are issuing minor cities in these Southern California cities: Los Angeles, Topanga and Pacific Palisades.  This intersection pictured above is in the Temescal Canyon Gateway Park.  We are aware of two other cameras which are located in Franklin Canyon, located off of Mulholland Drive, and another at the top of Topanga.Failure to come to a complete stop or roll through an intersection like this will get you a ticket of $125 in the mail.  Pictured above is a maroon camera in the background and the sensors just before the stop sign.   Photo enforced stop sign cameras are in operation in a few locations in California but a growing trend of cities desperate for money may change that soon.

Rolling right turn cameras are another trend that is growing and these fines are typically around $150 in California.  Running a red light camera on the other-hand will get you a fine of nearly $500.  You can access tour entire database of stop sign cameras throughout the USA by searching our database at PhotoEnforced.com. 

How much does a Failure to Stop on Red ticket cost?  We have over 170 locations in our database (as of February 2010) around the US in and the fine ranges from $50 on the East Coast and up to $350 on the West Coast in California.   The amount of the fine is set by each city and would recommend you search for "Right Turn Cameras" in our open database at PhotoEnforced.com to get a better idea of what it will be in your city.

Illegal rolling right turns are when a driver does not come to a "complete stop" before making the turn. These  turns result in a ticket when the driver makes a right turn on red regardless if they came to a complete stop. Its a very "grey area" what a "complete stop" is but I have been told its anything under 7MPH.  If you are traveling over 7MPH measured by the camera pictured above you will likely get a ticket.  

Photo enforcement of illegal right turns or failure to stop on red is becoming a very popular revenue source among many city's around the US. Illegal right turns are made when a sign clearly states "no right on red" or "after stop a right turn is permitted on red' or "stop here on red" (pictured above).  

We would appreciate any feedback from drivers around the Country to clarify this below under comments.

Press-Enterprise - Monday, February 15, 2010

The City Council agreed last week to leave the cameras in place at four intersections on Redlands Boulevard and Barton Road after learning that the number of traffic citations has dramatically dropped and that it would cost the city more than $534,000 to cancel its contract with the camera operator 10 months early.

Four months after Redflex Traffic Systems installed the cameras in 2006, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reported that it was writing 1,200 tickets a month. Last month, City Attorney Richard Holdaway said the cameras captured 451 potential violations and only 157 tickets were issued.

Of the violations spotted in January, Holdaway said, 130 potential citations were not written because the deputy reviewing the pictures made "a finding of safe right turn on red."

City Council members say they have been besieged with complaints from motorists forced to pay a fine of more than $450 for not making a complete stop before turning right at the intersections of Anderson Street and Mountain View Avenue with Barton Road and Redlands Boulevard.

Holdaway met in closed session with the council last week to advise council members on the legal ramifications of cancelling Redflex's contract before it expires in December.

Then, in public session, City Manager T. Jarb Thaipejr disclosed that the cost to the city would be $534,558.83 if the contract were terminated this month and would amount to $42,000 a month for the remaining term if the council pulls the plug later this year.

Councilmen Rhodes "Dusty" Rigsby and Ovidiu Popescu lobbied last month for either pulling the plug on the cameras or telling the Sheriff's Department not to enforce right-turn violations based on photos from the cameras. They said the $13.5 million in fines imposed since the cameras were installed has been draining the local economy and discouraging people from driving to and through the city of 22,000 residents.

Holdaway said the state Vehicle Code precludes the city from ordering deputies not to write citations.

"Ultimately," he said, "the Sheriff's Department has the sole discretion as to whether or not to issue a citation. We need to respect that discretion that the law enforcement officer has.

"As a result of this discussion, the Sheriff's Department is exercising that discretion ... and they're looking at some of the safety issues, whether or not a particular situation rises to a significant safety violation," Holdaway said. "Right turn situations, the notorious California stop, are some of the situations that they're looking at."

Rigsby noted that the city's decision to increase the length of time that the lights are yellow by one second, at the expense of green lights, has reduced the number of left-turn violations from 240 month to 25 or 30.

He said the most egregious violations involve motorists who drive straight ahead through red lights and those incidents at the four intersections produced only five violations.

"That is tremendous improvement in safety from what we were seeing in the past," he said. "We could have had that safety with lengthening the yellow lights four years ago instead of installing red-light cameras.

Councilman Floyd Petersen, who has complained about the steep fines for right turns, said he was impressed with the decline in violations. He said it is "a very strong indication ... of increased safety at the intersections."

He also said that despite that decline, "I still very, very strongly feel that another issue needs to be addressed here. A $450 ticket for right-hand turn is ludicrous."

Mayor Stan Brauer acknowledged concerns about the message that ignoring violations would have.

"What do we tell our teen-age drivers? Well, you don't need to stop for red lights," he said.

Popescu said he is "very optimistic" after learning that the Sheriff's Department is writing fewer citations for right turns.

He said he still believes the city has a "viable option for us to get out of the contract early, given what I believe is an injury to the community."

He conceded, however, that the cost may be prohibitive.

"I think it is a little early" to make a final decision, he said, and vowed to bring up the issue again at the council's March 9 meeting.

Photo enforcement of illegal right turns is starting to become very popular among city's. Illegal right turns are made when a sign clearly states "no right on red" or "after stop a right turn is permitted on red."  Illegal rolling right turns are when a driver does not come to a "complete stop" before making the turn. Illegal right turns are when the driver makes a right turn on red regardless if they camer to a complete stop.  Its a very grey area what a complete stop is but I have been told its anything under 7MPH.    We would appreciate any feedback from drivers around the Country to clarify this below under comments.

City's are using traditional red light camera technology and you can get a photo enforced ticket for an illegal right turn and they are cash cows.  Its by far the biggest money maker for most cities.   The fines in California are $159 and right turn cameras are also being used in Missouri $100), Tenessee ($100), Texas ($75) and Maryland ($75).

These right turn photo enforced intersections often surprise drivers because there are not very many intersections currently regulated. These intersections usually prevent drivers from turning right who might have limited visibility 0t mighy be moving at a speed that is unsafe. I still haven't figured out why rolling right turns are such a big deal that they have to be photo enforced. Its possible that bikers or pedestrians often are frequenting the sidewalks or streets and the cities want drivers to be extra cautious.

Los Angeles Times, February 12, 2010

San Fernando Valley Councilman Dennis Zine would lower fines for red-light violations in L.A.

Councilman says drivers' fines will go down and city revenue will go up if the city processes its own tickets. The county and state are likely to fight the plan, which would decrease their revenue.  Tens of thousands of Los Angeles motorists could see reduced fines for red-light violations -- now hovering around $500 with traffic school fees -- under an unusual proposal presented Wednesday at City Hall.

San Fernando Valley Councilman Dennis Zine introduced a motion to study the feasibility of taking the processing of the city's red-light infractions, and possibly other traffic tickets, out of the hands of the county court system. Such a move could reduce the fines, some of which have risen at three times the rate of inflation in recent years, and increase revenue to the city, Zine said.

The tactic has been quietly adopted by a handful of California towns, but none the size of Los Angeles.

The proposal could trigger a fight with the cash-strapped state as well as judicial agencies, both of which could lose millions in revenue from Los Angeles' red-light tickets. Some have questioned the legality of such city-run adjudication programs.

Red-light ticket revenues have grown in recent years as dozens of California cities have turned to automated photo enforcement systems to monitor intersections around the clock. Los Angeles issues about 3,600 red-light violations per month, just with its camera systems; most have been for rolling right turns.

Los Angeles police officials report that the city netted more than $6 million last year from its photo enforcement program.

Zine, a former Los Angeles traffic officer, has been critical of the jump in red light fines, which are set by state and county agencies.

The fines have become punitive, he argues, particularly for families struggling in the economic downturn. He noted that the city receives only about one-third -- less than $150 -- of the total fine levied for the red-light tickets its officers issue, while on patrol or via camera systems.

Courts might benefit from his proposal because they are overloaded and reducing days of operation, Zine said in an interview. A Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesperson was not available for comment.

Under the proposal, the city would conduct its own administrative hearings on the tickets. Drivers would still get points for violations reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles, he said. The proposal will be initially considered by the council's Public Safety and Budget committees.

Daily Herald - Feb. 10, 2010

State Sen. John Millner, a Carol Stream Republican, introduced legislation Tuesday he said would address problems identified with photo enforcement of red-light laws. The solutions? New signs, repainting the cameras and prohibiting municipalities from shortening the yellow-light time.  We'd like to say this is a start toward reforming the kinds of wholesale mismanagement associated with red-light cameras, but come on. New signs? Prohibiting communities from programming nonstandard yellow-light times, a practice that ought to be unconscionable in any circumstance?  Millner also touted a provision of the legislation that would require a community's police to review every red-light infraction, something already required in existing law.

The law also would enable ticketed drivers to fight their cases by telephone, instead of traveling to court. There's something to look forward to, a half an hour or more waiting on hold for a bureaucrat to come on the phone and tell you you're wrong and you have to pay up anyway.

In a comprehensive 2009 report, the Daily Herald found serious flaws in the way red-light cameras are placed and infractions are enforced. The placement is usually based on volume at an intersection rather than on data involving accidents or safety, and the overwhelming proportion of tickets are written for rolling through right turns on red rather than the much-more dangerous practice of running straight through a red light.  Millner's proposal does nothing to address either of these situations. Indeed, he pointedly emphasized that he doesn't want to do anything to address the right-turn issue for fear it would send "a bad message" to motorists that an incomplete stop before a right turn on red is OK.  What the legislation doesn't seem to recognize is the "bad message" sent by current red-light enforcement that the law exists as a cash cow for local communities and does little to improve safety.

We greatly appreciate lawmakers' recognition of the problems associated with red-light camera enforcement. But they should be fashioning legislation that addresses the clearly identified problems:

• Locating cameras based on volume of traffic, rather than safety data;

• Concentrating tickets on minor right-turn infractions;

• Assessing high $100 civil fines that don't get reported on a driver's safety record;

• Letting the private camera companies maintain records, rather than local governments, whose actions are subject to public scrutiny;

• And, failure to focus attention on unsafe straight-through violations of red lights.

Repainting signals and writing new signs may have some value in helping motorists better understand the laws they are supposed to follow, but until these more-significant issues are addressed, red-light cameras will remain an unfair, inconsistent, ineffective and inappropriate means of enforcing red-light laws.

Naples News By BRENT BATTEN

A cynic’s view of government holds that, “If it moves, tax it.” And if it moves right on red? Tax it uniformly across the state.

A bill introduced in the state Legislature would bring consistency to the mishmash of local red-light camera programs operating in Florida cities and counties. It would also bring millions of dollars to the state treasury.

Rep. Ron Reagan of Sarasota is the primary sponsor of House Bill 325, the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act. The bill would take the details of red-light camera use away from local jurisdictions and place them under state regulation. Cities and counties will decide for themselves whether to use the cameras and strike their own deals with vendors who provide them, but the amount of the fines will be set by the state, with the state receiving more than half the money generated.

Reagan says the purpose of the bill is not to raise money. It is named after a Sarasota resident killed by a red-light runner and Reagan said the goal is to enhance highway safety. “I don’t ignore the revenue side but I’m in it for safety first and foremost,” he said.

Using previous years’ volumes of red-light citations and assuming cameras will catch at least twice as many violators, he estimates the bill could mean an additional $80 million to $100 million to the state, adding, “I hope it’s zero.”

The fine for a red-light violation under the bill, which has a Senate companion version, would be $155. Of that, $75 would go to the local jurisdiction, $55 would go to the state general fund and $25 would go to the Health Administration Trust Fund, with biggest share of that set aside for trauma centers and emergency rooms.

Whatever local jurisdictions pay to private companies to supply, maintain and operate the systems would have to come out of their $75 cut.

The new arrangement would potentially boost Collier County’s receipts from its red-light camera program. First time violators here now pay a $62.50 fine, with the vendor, American Traffic Solutions of Arizona, getting $47.50 of that. But second- and third-time offenders pay fines of $75 and $100, with the county keeping a larger share. There’s no graduated fine schedule in the state law. Other places, like Orlando where the fine is $125, would stand to lose money.

While the question is not addressed in the bill as written, Reagan said language may be added to take on the most controversial aspect of the cameras -- the preponderance of tickets written to drivers turning right on red. “I’m working on that. I don’t have an answer yet,” he said.

One approach would be to follow the example set in Orlando, where they don’t issue tickets if a driver turns right on red at less than 5 mph and there are no pedestrians at the intersection. Another is to waive fines if drivers hesitate before turning right on red and a third is to ticket all drivers turning right unless they follow the letter of the law. The latter approach sends a signal that the program is about raising revenue, Reagan conceded. On the other hand, “We can’t tell people, ‘You can break the law.’”

When Reagan first introduced legislation governing red-light cameras in the state five years ago, only one city was using them. Now there are 64 cities and counties using cameras, making the case for uniform standards more compelling. “I have all the confidence in the world we’ll get this through,” he said.

First Driver-to-Driver Network Answers the Question “What is The Driver Ahead of Me Experiencing?”


News Facts

• Aha Mobile, Inc., the company that keeps drivers informed about the world around them by safely connecting them to each other and to relevant information from the Web, has launched its first consumer experience - the Aha application for iPhone users.

• The company, which soft launched its application two weeks ago in Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, has expanded road and traffic coverage in the following major metropolitan areas: Dallas and San Antonio, TX, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Miami Beach, FL, Seattle, WA, Washington D.C. The company will continue to add road and traffic coverage in more cities in the coming months.

• The free application is now available for download in the iTunes App Store.

• Aha’s application is the first driver-to-driver network that answers questions such as “What is the driver a mile ahead of me seeing out his window?” and “What is traffic like now on my route to work?”

• Aha’s application is designed for use at 65 MPH and gives you information, either audibly or in an at-a-glance format, about the roads and photo enforced camera locations nearby.

• It also connects drivers to personalized Web data about nearby services and destinations, such as restaurants, coffee shops and bathrooms.

• Aha is not a navigation application but is instead designed for daily use when you already know how to get to your destination.

Unique Product Features

• Get “Nearby” Alerts for Things You Care About: Are you hungry, want to grab a cup of coffee, or need to take a bathroom break? Select “yes” to any of those questions and Aha’s “Nearby” function alerts you to places along the way, like restrooms from SitOrSquat or highly rated restaurants from Yelp. Aha will also alert you to red-light and speed cameras as you approach them, using data from Photoenforced.com. At 65 MPH, less is more, so Aha only gives you the relevant results pre-filtered for your preferences and location.

• Listen to Live, Personalized Traffic Channels: Like a radio station dedicated to the roads you care about, Aha lets you listen to traffic “Shouts” (or voice notes) from other drivers without taking your eyes off the road. Aha also uses best-in-class INRIX traffic data to tell you how traffic is flowing and alert you to congestion or accidents on the major road segments around you, without requiring you to study a map.

• “Shout” Out Your Own Traffic Reports: With Aha, every driver is a virtual traffic reporter. Simply tap the microphone icon to record and share a 15-second traffic report to help the drivers around you. Your Shout automatically feeds into the road and city-specific Shout Rooms based on your current location.

• Be Entertained in the Car! Aha also wants to make driving fun. For example, the “Caraoke” Shout Room lets you send out a 15 second recording of your radio sing along, then get rated by other drivers. In the “#%& Drivers” Shout Room, let off steam by venting about a bad driver or your frustrating commute.
Executive Quotes

“Aha is uniquely delivering information that every driver wants in a new and better way that doesn’t involve studying tiny maps while you drive. Sometimes you want to hear a live traffic report from a driver ahead of you, and other times you want relevant information from the Web, like a nearby coffee shop,” said Robert Acker, President and CEO of Aha Mobile, Inc.

“Regardless of the source, Aha filters and customizes the information you want based on your preferences and location, presenting it in a format that limits driving distractions and helps you make smart choices along your familiar routes.”
User Quotes

“I frequently run into traffic in my patrol car, particularly on event days at the Del Mar fairgrounds,” said Aha beta tester and San Diego Deputy Sheriff Marshall Abbott. “Even with some state-of-the-art tools at my disposal, I turn to Aha for the latest conditions on the roads I drive daily. I use it to know when traffic is backed up a few miles ahead of me so I can decide if I should bail for another route. Aha’s at-a-glance information is a very efficient way to get me the information I need.”

“Every day when I get in the car, I run Aha to check the Los Angeles freeway traffic before I leave my driveway,” said Aha beta tester David Whelan. “It quickly gives me a good idea of which route to take to work - in typical LA fashion, I have many routes to choose from. Then, I flip into "Nearby" mode while I drive to get alerted to coffee shops and other places I want to know about along the way. I have found that Aha is far less distracting and more efficient way to get this information than the in-car navigation system in my BMW.”
Images, Assets and Product Demo Video

• Click here to view Aha’s quick product demo videos

• Click here for product and feature images

Blog: ahamobile.com/blog for more information and product updates
Twitter: @ahamobile
Twitter: @photoenforced
Facebook: Join Aha Mobile Fan group
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About Aha Mobile, Inc.

Aha improves your driving experience by keeping you informed about the world around you while you are on the road. To do this, we built the first driver-to-driver network that connects drivers to each other and to relevant information from the Internet. You can record and share your own personal traffic reports to help those around you, or listen to a customized traffic channel on the roads you travel. Aha also alerts you to the nearby things you need – like a great cup of coffee or a restroom. With Aha, drivers share their experiences with one another and help each other on the road.

Founded in 2008, Aha began by building a connected back-end platform that can power any number of devices – from portable electronics to in-car systems. Through our first application, designed for the iPhone, we created a 65 MPH interface (information is delivered audibly or in at-a-glance visual formats) that gives drivers the answers they need while minimizing driving distractions.

Based in Palo Alto, CA, Aha is backed by Venrock and led by a team of executives with nearly four decades of experience developing automotive and location-based services applications.

Depending on the state, county or province, the laws regarding red light camera ticket citations are different. Some red light camera ticket photos can't be used or enforced for different reasons. These are the top 10 reasons for the tickets not being enforced:

1) Both images do not show vehicle through intersection during the red light
2) Unreadable license plate due to glare, lighting or obstruction of license plate
3) No license plate or the dealer plate logo is showing from transfer of ownership
4) Out of State plates - Not sure about this one in every State?
5) Weather related image distortion due to rain, snow, dust or wind
6) Invalid or temporary license plates
7) No DMV match to the registered vehicle driver, some states only require photo of the vehicle
8) Traffic signal, camera, flash malfunction
9) Poor image quality or focus
10) The driver was not you and you may submit a Declaration of Non-liability.

As always we would appreciate here feedback about your experiences related to the enforcement of tickets due to these circumstances and any others we are missing. We are especially curious about #4) out of State plates and the enforcement of tickets.

Please do not consider any of the information on this page as legal representative advice to be used in any court of law. PhotoEnforced.com will not be held liable for any information in this article.

We frequently receive emails from drivers who ask us if they will receive a ticket in a blizzard, rain storm or during poor weather conditions. These drivers usually plead that they couldn't stop safely before the intersection because of ice or water on the road. It is our understanding that police officers don't suspend red light cameras during bad weather, however, someone does review videos of each infraction and evaluates whether a ticket should be issued. Officers will take into consideration if the driver made a legitimate attempt to stop and didn't stop at the line.

If you think you may have received an unjustified ticket sometimes a successful defense some have used in court is the 'out of necessity' defense for running the red light. This defense basically brings the idea of a dangerous situation at hand. When you tried to come to a stop, your car began to slide on ice or water and you had no choice but to run the red light. You could go on to say that by going through the red light, it was actually safer to have done so as opposed to sliding uncontrollably into traffic, stopped vehicles or pedestrians. Pictures would go a long way here. It is recommended to drive back to the scene as soon as possible and return with a camera. Take pictures of the icy or wet road and anything else that could boost your stories credibility.

We would appreciate hearing stories from drivers below in the comments section of the blog who received a ticket during poor weather conditions and contested the ticket.

PhotoEnforced.com today added a new category of photo enforcement "Right Turn Cameras" to compliment our growing list of "red light cameras" and "speed cameras." As of today we have added 44 locations where illegal right turns are photo enforced from around the U.S. and will be adding many more as the data starts to trickle in from users.

We are starting to see a growing number of right turn cameras popping-up around the U.S. that use traditional red light camera technology to enforce illegal right turns. These new cameras are typically enforcing illegal right turns red or rolling right turns. Illegal rolling right turns are when a driver does not come to a complete stop before making the turn. Illegal right turns are when the driver makes a right turn on red regardless if they camer to a complete stop. The fines in California are $159 and right turn cameras are also being used in Missouri $100), Tenessee ($100), Texas ($75) and Maryland ($75).

These right turn photo enforced intersections often surprise drivers because there are not very many intersections currently regulated. These intersections usually prevent drivers from turning right who might have limited visibility 0t mighy be moving at a speed that is unsafe. I still haven't figured out why rolling right turns are such a big deal that they have to be photo enforced. Its possible that bikers or pedestrians often are frequenting the sidewalks or streets and the cities want drivers to be extra cautious.

In Chicago, running a red light might get you a letter, complete with a $100 fine, thanks to a red-light camera. But that might not be the end of your photo-enforcement mess, because city officials began talking about using the city's ever-growing network of red-light cameras to check for vehicle liability insurance or uninsured motorists.  The city could potentially net nearly $10 million a year in fines just by citing uninsured vehicles that also get photo ticketed for a red-light violation. Ed Burke brought the idea to the City Council Traffic Committee. Citing more vehicles—including those driven safely but uninsured—could net the city more than $100 million a year, added Rowland Day, executive vice president of InsureNet, a Michigan-based company that provides instant insurance verification. Day pitched the idea as a way to raise money in tough economic times and make sure more vehicles are insured. Insurenet is still a relatively new company and has yet to prove the concept on any level. Although no state or municipality uses photo-enforcement to ticket the uninsured drivers, Insurenet claims to have three or four states signed in the Spring of 2009.

Most state fines for driving without insurance are currently $500, but the cities could pass local ordinances requiring insurance to keep fine collections, and would probably enact a lesser fine. Chicagotribune.com

Make sure you come to a complete stop when making a right turn on red. According to this LA Times article that has been the key to the city staying profitable with its red light camera program. Rolling right turns on a red light will get you a $158 fine in Culver City as compared to running completely through an intersection for a $381 fine. See this chart below of a breakdown in estimated revenue by some Los Angeles cities . . .

Here is a question from an email l received and would like your help answering . . .

I got a red light ticket in Orange County Ca, for a rolling right turn. The signs say "photo enforced" but the star witness is the video that they have. The photos that they send you in the ticket doesn't prove you didn't make a fast stop in between the photos. Has anyone ever used this defense that has emailed you...that the signs are incorrect because California VC 21455.5 (a) (1) says Identifies the system by signs......etc. How is "Photo enforced" Identifying a video system. Any feedback would be helpful..thanks

Four of the most common questions I receive from visitors are the following with regards to “I saw a flash, did I get a photo enforced ticket?” Most of these cases below DO NOT result in a violation for the following reason. To receive a red light camera violation most cameras require the vehicle to be traveling through the intersection at a minimum speed.

1) I saw a flash when making a left turn.
2) I saw a flash when making a right turn on red.
3) I was stopped in the middle of intersection due to stopped traffic in front of me.
4) I stopped my car over the cross walk line.

How long does it take to get a photo enforced ticket in the mail? Usually five business days it will be mailed to the registered vehicle owner if a positive match can be identified.

We would appreciate comments from anyone with additional information or experiences to share.

Authorities have sent 37 speeding tickets to Dave Vontesmar, claiming he'd been captured each time by speed camera. Dave denies he's at fault, saying he doesn't resemble the monkey driver portrayed in camera images.

Police claim to have done surveillance on Vontesmar and observed him putting on a monkey mask before hitting the Arizona street, proving without a shadow of a doubt he's at the helm of the distinctive Subaru, thus the issuance of the many, many tickets. Faced with the evidence, Vontesmar responded, "Not one of them there is a picture where you can identify the driver, the ball's in their court. I sent back all these ones I got with a copy of my drivers license, and said, 'It's not me. I'm not paying them.'" Ballsy. It seems to us the police have a case for one of the traffic tickets, if it were issued on the day of their surveillance operation, but all of them? While this might seem like a technicality, one is innocent until proven guilty, even in traffic court, and unless police can prove it was Vontesmar who donned the mask every single time, it seems he's got a point. Maybe instead of relying on unrepresented tax collection systems speed cameras, police should, you know, pull people over and alleviate that burden of proof.