Railroad Crossing Tickets

Motorists Beware Camera Enforcement Systems Can Ticket For More Than Just a Red Light

Whenever someone mentions they got one of those “photo tickets” in the mail, everyone would assume it’s a red light photo ticket. However, a red light violation is not the only thing that Camera Enforcement Systems can be used for.

One should be especially wary at railroad crossings. The vehicle code section governing stops at railroad crossings states in part: “The driver of any vehicle or pedestrian approaching a railroad or rail transit grade crossing shall stop not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail and shall not proceed until he or she can do so safely...”

Furthermore, it states this relating to camera enforcement: “Whenever a railroad or rail transit crossing is equipped with an automated enforcement system, a notice of a violation of this section is subject to the procedures provided in Section 40518.”

What this means, in a nutshell, is that a ticket for failing to stop at a railroad crossing can be mailed to you just like a ticket for failing to stop at a red light, so drive careful you never know who (what?) is watching.

Contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

Can Motorcycles Avoid Red Light Camera Tickets?

The price for running a red light might be life or death on a motorcycle but can they still get tickets?  I watched a man die after running a red light on his motorcycle this winter. He crashed his motorcycle into a car turning left as he tried to run the red light in Palm Desert this winter. It sparked a question whether motorcycles are heavy enough to set off the red light camera sensors? According to the red light camera operators they are supposed to pick up motorcycles. So if they do get tickets can the cameras capture the image and identify the driver's face inside a helmet? Are the cameras capable of capturing an image if the rider is traveling at a high rate of speed?  

Talking on Cell Phone Ticket in California

If You’re Caught on Camera for a Red Light Violation and You Were also on the Phone Can You Get a Ticket for Both?

If you’ve ever found yourself traveling through an intersection or turning at an intersection and being blinded by the flashing lights of the Automated Traffic Enforcement System at the same time as when you were on the phone, you may be worried that you will get a ticket for the cell phone violation as well as the red light violation. Well, the good news is that so far, the vehicle section that authorizes a Notice to Appear to be mailed instead of handed to you by an officer does not include the vehicle code section for cell phone use or texting while driving. So while you should always adhere to safe driving practices, you can rest assured that red light camera enforcement systems are not yet being used to also ticket drivers for cell phone violations. In any event, if an officer sees you on the phone, look out because, with increased fines in California, the base fine (fine before other added court fees) for a cell phone violation used to be $20+ and it is now $80+. See the Cell Phone Ticket Laws in other states.

Contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

Traffic Ticket Requested Information of Me

If you receive ticket a notice in the mail issued to you by a police department or even an out of state camera company what you shouldn’t do is freely give them the information requested of you. Oftentimes these notices are sent out to fish for information like your driver’s license number and to get you to tell on yourself (or someone else) for a red light violation.  These are known as snitch tickets.

A red flag should go up if you were not the driver if you don’t see a due date, a fine amount, and if you don’t see a courthouse listed on the notice. If you’re still unsure, check the notice for the city and county where the violation allegedly occurred (this will be on the front side of the notice listed along with information like the location and violation code). You can then go to the Superior court website for that county and many courts allow you to do an online search for your ticket and fine information. You may be able to search by your driver’s license, last name, or violation number. You could also try calling the court you think the ticket would have been issued in and inquire with a traffic clerk as to whether there is a ticket issued to you in their system, most likely there will not be.

If not then, in that case, the ticket hasn’t been filed or registered with the court yet so it’s not an official ticket. Before you just roll over and comply with the first notice, you may want to wait and see if you ever do get a notice from the court, because you may not. If you don’t fill out the back of the first notice and send it back to the agency requesting the information from you then they won’t have enough to pin the ticket on you and get a real ticket issued to you through the court.

If you’re not sure of how to handle a red light photo ticket notice you received, before you do anything, it’s a good idea to consult with a professional who is well seasoned with dealing with red light camera tickets. Remember, a ticket that hasn’t been filed or registered with the court yet is not an official ticket and may never become one if you don’t help them by tattling on yourself.

Contributed by ticketbust.com, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.