It is an odd connection, but if one were to look up the inception of the ticket from red light camera events, they would coincide with the downturn of the economy. It may take a bit of reading between the lines to reach this conclusion, yet the reasons given us otherwise simply do not add up. Reportedly, and truthfully, runnning a red light and speeding can be the cause of very serious accidents. Yet statistics continue to show that the incidence of accidents on highways has not reduced vehicular accidents by any great degree.
Most people have no idea how these lights even operate. Buried in the pavement of the roads are sensors that set the camera in motion. A specific amount of time is allowed for the vehicle to reach the intersection from the time the triggers were set off. It is assumed that a vehicle that goes through an intersection after that allotted time is therefore running a red light. The camera then must meet two qualifications. It has to take a photo of the driver’s license plate and the driver. If you receive notification in the mail that you are being ticketed, both plate and driver must be clearly seen or there is grounds for having the ticket dismissed. If, at the day and time of the infraction, someone else was driving the car, this information can be given to the police and that driver will be ticketed in your stead. Yet this is not the only reason for which you can get a ticket from red light camera.
There are also a large number of interstate highways that have begun using the ticket from red light camera scheme to prevent motorists from using excessive speed. Certain sections of the highway are marked from a beginning point to an ending point. How quickly a vehicle covers that amount of space is used to determine whether or not they are exceeding the posted speed limit. The use of these cameras must be clearly posted in a manner that can be easily seen by driver. If anything at all is obstructing the view of the warning that a red light camera is in use can prove to be grounds for ticket dismissal. Again, the plate number and the driver are photographed and a ticket is issued to your home address.
The whole idea behind this camera vigilance was to free up police officers to take care of more serious crimes and events. After all, a local robbery would rate well above the incidence of someone runnning a red light or speeding. Hence, other uses were found for the camera other than at intersections.
Still, even with all the good intentions, the intersection or highway camera has fallen far short of its expectations. Speeding drivers, in particular, are often the victim of accusation when in actuality it was another driver that was speeding. This will happen most often when traffic is at its heaviest and the camera simply will not capture the right offender.
Runnning a red light and speeding is certainly not a felony offense. There are very few drivers that have not committed either of these crimes at one time or another. Depending on the circumstances involved, a driver can get a fine, have their license suspended, or points placed on their license. Keep in mind that this camera surveillance is often wrong. Before you willing subject yourself to a traffic citation be sure everything in regard to the highway red light camera was in proper working order and was clearly posted.