Many people watch out for the cops as they drive. It’s not necessarily because they’re doing something illegal. They just know that if there’s a cop car nearby, they should make sure to follow all traffic laws to the letter. Technically, the police can pull them over even if they exceed the speed limit by just a couple of miles per hour.
Red light cameras are automated enforcement systems installed at intersections that photograph vehicles running red lights, capturing the license plate and driver's face, resulting in tickets mailed to the registered address that can cost up to several hundred dollars.
- Red light cameras are installed at many urban intersections, with Chicago monitoring 149 intersections and larger cities like New York having even more extensive coverage.
- These automated systems capture both your license plate and your face when you run a red light, activating only when a vehicle passes through during a red signal.
- Tickets are mailed to your vehicle's registered address weeks after the violation and can cost up to several hundred dollars depending on the jurisdiction.
- Contesting these tickets is typically difficult since they provide photographic evidence of the violation, including your car, license plate, and you as the driver.
- While frustrating to receive, these cameras serve broader public safety purposes beyond traffic enforcement, including helping solve more serious crimes like kidnappings and robberies.
However, these days, you can get a ticket even with no cops nearby. For instance, you might get one if you drive through a red light at an intersection.
Chicago has cameras watching 149 city intersections, and you will see even more in larger cities, like New York. If you see one while you’re driving, you might tense up. However, as long as you don’t do anything wrong, you shouldn’t have any worries when you see one looking down at you.
Let’s talk about red light cameras and the ticket you can get from one in a little more detail.
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How Do These Cameras Work?
Let’s say that you’re approaching an intersection in a major city. You notice that the light’s turning yellow. You’re still behind a couple of other cars.
The last vehicle ahead of you goes through the intersection with a yellow light. You must now make a decision. Will you stop and wait out the light till you get a green, or will you surge forward?
If you drive forward, then the light might very well turn red before you make it through the intersection. If a cop spots you, that means they could potentially pull you over and ticket you. Usually, if you have a chance to stop on a yellow light, you should do that.
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If there’s no cop around, though, and you went through a red light, then you can still get a ticket if there’s a camera mounted on the traffic light above the intersection. Usually, you can spot such cameras pretty easily, but on other occasions, you may not notice one.
The camera will take a picture of your vehicle while you’re driving through the red light, assuming it’s working correctly. The camera has a mechanism on it where it activates if a car drives through a red light. The picture usually includes not just your license plate, but also your face as you sit behind the wheel.
How Will You Get Your Ticket?
You won’t get a ticket at that moment. Maybe you will continue driving and arrive at your destination without thinking that you did anything wrong.
Later, though, you will get a ticket in the mail. The cost will vary, but you might have to pay up to a couple of hundred dollars in some instances.
You get that ticket at the address where you registered your car. If you live in the same location that you gave on your driver’s license, then the ticket might come within a couple of weeks after you drove through the red light.
If you get that ticket in the mail, you probably won’t feel too happy about it. Nobody likes paying traffic tickets. However, you will probably want to pay the fine without delay. If you don’t, then a judge can issue a bench warrant for your arrest.
Can You Contest the Ticket?
You might at least think about contesting the ticket. You can always do that, whether an automated red-light camera gave you the ticket or a flesh-and-blood police officer did.
However, if you contest the ticket in front of a judge, it’s not too likely they will agree with your assessment that you shouldn’t have to pay it. Maybe if you can convince the judge that you had to drive to the hospital fast because you had your pregnant wife in labor in the back, or something along those lines, then they might let you off. Even then, there’s no guarantee.
If you contest the ticket, then keep in mind that the camera probably took a picture of most of your car, the license plate, and of the driver as well. That’s why, if you claim you didn’t drive the vehicle when it went through the red light, the picture can easily disprove that.
Can a Red Light Camera Ever Malfunction?
Maybe you will contest the ticket because you claim that the camera malfunctioned, and that you didn’t go through the red light. You can always argue on your own behalf.
Again, though, it’s not likely that your argument will gain any traction. It’s always possible that a camera might malfunction, since it’s a piece of technology, and something can always go wrong with it. Even if you feel certain that’s what happened, though, and you argue eloquently on your behalf, how can you prove the malfunction?
Most People Agree These Cameras Serve a Valuable Purpose
If you get a ticket from one of these cameras, you might feel frustrated or angry. Maybe you didn’t think twice about going through the red light. You didn’t cause an accident, and you simply didn’t feel like stopping when you saw that yellow light.
However, since arguing that the traffic camera malfunctioned probably won’t get you anywhere, it’s usually best that you pay the ticket and try to get on with your life. Maybe next time, when you’re approaching a yellow light, you won’t do the same thing again.
Despite their annoyance if they get a ticket this way, most people feel that these cameras serve a valuable purpose. Yes, you may have to pay for a ticket if you decide to go instead of stopping when you see a yellow light, but that’s not the only purpose they serve.
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