Red light camera tickets?

[TheFied]

My wife & I were in College Station a few weeks back for the Saturday night baseball game. After the game, we went to Sweet Eugene's for some coffee for the trip back at night and I saw my first red light cameras on Texas Avenue there. My wife was driving (I had a few drinks during dinner and didn't want to drive yet) but she sorta ran slowly through a red light (it was a quick yellow).

This was 2 1/2 weeks ago. We have yet to get a bill/ticket. Are we in the clear? How long does it take to get a ticket?

 

[zzzz]

If aliens destroy the earth, it will be because a red light camera in College Station pissed them off:The Link


College Station story:

In reply to:

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[TheFied]

Good. She doesn't run red lights but we were going slow and I am pretty certain she entered the intersection when it was yellow but man it turned red fast and that light on the camera got us. Now once they review, they might say that we were cool.

It has been 2 1/2 weeks so I'm hoping we aren't getting one.

 

[Craigcito]

CALLEGARI'S TRAFFIC LIGHT WARNING BILL GIVES MOTORISTS A HEADS UP

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Texas motorists driving through intersections with red light cameras must now receive a fair warning before doing so. This new requirement was made possible through legislation passed by State Representative Bill Callegari earlier this year.

"If cities are going to use cameras to catch those who may run through red lights, I think they should be required to post signs regarding their use," said Representative Callegari. "I think that red light camera warning signs will have two advantages. First, they will give motorists a fair warning to obey the upcoming traffic signal. Second, and most importantly, they will encourage people to slow down when they approach an intersection."

The measure passed by Representative Callegari earlier this year requires cities to post a sign along each roadway that leads to an intersection where a red light camera is used. The sign must warn motorists of the use of the red light camera at the intersection, and that the camera may be used to issue traffic tickets and penalty fines. The sign must be easily readable, and located at least 100 feet from the intersection.

The bill also prohibits cities from imposing any civil or administrative penalty for violations detected by a red light camera if they fail to post the appropriate signage. Those cities that comply with the signage requirement are permitted to issue citations to motorists that flaunt traffic signals.

Representative Callegari's bill, HB 1052, was unanimously passed by the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate. Governor Perry signed the bill into law on June 15th, 2007. HB 1052 became effective on September 1st.

Representative Callegari continued, "My bill provided specific instructions for cities to provide a fair warning to motorists wherered light cameras are in use. If a person receives a traffic ticket because of a red light camera, and the city failed to post the proper notice, then that should be grounds for the ticket's dismissal."

Currently over 60 Texas cities, including the City of Houston, have plans to use red light cameras to catch motorists that violate traffic signals. The Legislature approved cities' use of red light cameras in 2003.


Contact: Jeremy Mazur
512-463-0528

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The Link

 

[HatDaddy]

It took Dallas about 6 months to send me one. I actually got it from a collection service. They sent the notices to an address I lived at 7 years earlier and not to the address the car or my license is registered. They tried to get me to pay a late fee and I told them to fly a kite.

 

[accuratehorn]

You haven't run a red light if one inch of the front bumper has crossed the white painted bar on the street where you are supposed to stop, prior to the light turning red. It doesn't matter if the light turns red while you are already in the intersection, legally. That's my understanding of the law.

 

[Texanne]

IIRC from my CJ courses, traffic laws are "strict liability" laws, which means that the cop has to see you commit the offense in order to cite you. In other words, they can't pull you over for running the stop sign, say, if they didn't see you do it.

If I ever get one of those red light camera tickets, I am going to fight it. No cop saw me commit the offense -- he saw a videotape of me committing the offense. To me, there is enough of a difference to make it worth fighting.

 

[hitbyatrain]

Texanne, they get around this by making it a civil ticket and not a criminal offense.