Speed, Red Light, and White Line Cameras

[Freedomrider]

For those of you who are full-timng, could you give me your experience with tickets in the mail for Speed Cameras, Red Light Cameras, short yellow lights, and tickets for breaking the white line of pedestrian's crosswalks while traveling?

Our intention was to request our mail only when we expected mail. With these new money-making machines, it looks like it will be a good idea to request our mail once a month.

Now, we are in the Washington, DC Metro area, cameras are at most all major and minor intersections, roadways, and many crosswalks.

This could potentially create a new column in any budget.

[TWA640316]

I use a Garmin GPS in my truck at work and it beeps and flashes on the screen when there is a red light camera in the next intersection coming up. Kind of cool, it kind of surprised me the first time I seen it.

[n2916s]

Well, I drive very, very conservatively while towing and in 7 years and 50,000 miles, I haven't gotten a "gotcha" letter yet.

But, I do get my mail every 3 weeks or so because my home county loves me and the bride enough to invite us to jury duty on a very regular basis. They are kind enough to excuse us when we explain our whereabouts but to get excused you have to respond to the summons pdq.

Also got a nasty-gram from the IRS that was time sensitive. Turned out to be no big deal but those folks do enjoy a prompt reply.

Mike

[azflycaster]

In Arizona they can send you a letter telling you to pay up, but it is not enforceable unless they serve you in person. If you are full timing, good luck with that.

There were many camera along the freeways here, but many people never bothered to pay the fines and the state never went after them. The cameras were supposed to generate a lot of money, but in the end they did not and were shut down.

Laws in your area may be different...

[Freedomrider]

I will take getting my mail more seriously on a regular basis.

In 2011, the District of Columbia took in $55 Million on speed and red light cameras. To increase revenues, the new tactics in this area are mobile speed cameras and and white line cameras at intersections.

Thank God we leave this area at the end of March.

[TG Twinkie]

I received a ticket in the mail while working in Canada. It had a picture of a car and the ticket. Along with how much to pay. So I laid that amount of money on the table. Took a picture of it. Sent the picture and ticket back to them. Never heard another word from them.

[hissilver]

Big Brother is indeed watching, it just took a bit longer than Orwell thought it would.

[dkottum]

Washington, DC huh? We were there last fall, apparently tripped a speed camera, although I am very careful on speed limits. Never got the "first" letter, but did get the second one which had $125 fine, then doubled for not responding to the so-called "first" letter, $250 total.

I sent two checks $125 each (to avoid another late fee) and asked for reconsideration because their free portrait of the back of my truck showed brake lights applied approaching the 25 mph speed limit sign. They cashed both checks of course and never replied back.

What an absolutely crooked operation that produces tens of millions of dollars, so you can bet they will keep it, and others will continue to expand these wretched operations.

doug k

[MrUKToad]

In the UK these cameras have been a way of life for some years now. First the GATSOs, simple speeding cameras, then stop light cameras, then average speed cameras and now video surveillance. I never did get caught but then I was pretty careful not to; I hope most of you are as lucky.

I'm sending out my sympathy to my US neighbours, especially as these cameras haven't really caught on here in Ontario yet. Give it time, though...

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Never got the "first" letter, but did get the second one which had $125 fine, then doubled for not responding to the so-called "first" letter, $250 total.

What an absolutely crooked operation that produces tens of millions of dollars, so you can bet they will keep it, and others will continue to expand these wretched operations. doug k

I’ve experienced the same thing here in Texas... strange, I ALWAYS get the second letter informing me that the fine has been doubled but never the first one telling me ‘ve been fined.... imagine that.

[Freedomrider]

This business is so profitable here, all you hear now is how each jurisdiction
has plans to increase their operations. They can even project how much money they
will make, but you never hear how the money is to be spent.

At least, we still have the open road, for now.

[BAB]

....interesting. They have pulled these things from where I live. There was a lot of bad feelings with the revenue share....the company that installed/operated these things was making a fortune. And, the question then became more about, "are these devices there to make our intersections safer, or as a way to grab $ from unsuspecting folks." After they were removed I don't believe there was an increase in accidents. There ARE too many idiots who don't understand what a yellow light means. If you're entering the intersection when it turns yellow, OK....otherwise you need to STOP.

[Ora]

BAB, what is an "average speed camera" have not heard that term. I got caught on a toll road north of Austin, TX last summer without the radio frequency toll transponder. I have NY plates, expected a toll fine in the mail but have not received it ... yet.

[panheaddale]

All of these cameras are civil penality only. If you get caught and pay the ticket nothing goes on your driving record because there was no officer that witnessed the incident. However if you decide to go to court and fight it and lose then it will go on your record if you lose. If you just decide not to pay the ticket they can't do anything to you regarding your license. The only thing they can do is report it on your credt and there are states that are trying to make it so they can't even do that. I live in TN. and they are trying to pass that now.

[0557]

The company that installed the red light cameras in Georgia is based out of Arizona, A buddy of mine refused to pay it because the yellow light duration
had been tweaked to a 2 sec delay. It's been a year and hasn't heard from them again.

[RUMSHIP]

Localities in SoCal are starting to pull them out. They are make more money for the image company that monitors them then the local governments that wanted them installed. In some cases it's costing them money to pay for the service if not enough tickets are issued. Good by cameras!

[0557]

This needs to happen nationwide

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by Ora

BAB, what is an "average speed camera" have not heard that term. I got caught on a toll road north of Austin, TX last summer without the radio frequency toll transponder. I have NY plates, expected a toll fine in the mail but have not received it ... yet.

Average speed cameras (ASC) record your entering the designated zone and automatically register your licence plate number using a system known as Automatic Numberplate Recognition (ANR). A second camera will do the same at the end of the zone and work out how long you took to go through the zone. From that it's easy to see if you exceeded the limit. If you do it's a photo of you entering and leaving the zone and the time and average speed that will land you a fine and penalty points on your drivers licence. They work in the UK because all licence plates are issued from a single agency and are on a single database, so it's easy to find out who you are; I'm not sure what they do about European plates, though. ASCs are typically used in construction zones when the speed limit is temporarily lower, and on some of the busier highways, like the M4 Motorway which goes to and from LHR airport!

ANR is also used to check that drivers have valid insurance and road tax, and that there are no warrants or fines outstanding against that vehicle; databases hold all this information. ANR systems can be used in the ASC zones, from static positions at the side of the highway or from within police cars or excise agency vehicles.

If you're a law abiding citizen, pay all your fines, pay your tax and insurance and you don't speed then I guess ASC and ANR are good, but for normal people it's a nightmare.

[0557]

They write those statutory laws for us, not for them, it's a mafia shakedown,
Only they have the guns.

[macofpei]

A few years ago while driving in Calgary Alberta Canada, A black sports car flew past me on the outside lane. I was in the middle, doing just under the 100 klm (65 miles per hour) and laughed that the black car just got a ticket. A few months later I get a letter in the mail from the car rental that said I got a ticket and they paid it, doubled that amount and charged that to my credit card. I asked for a copy of the picture and it showed the car I was driving, and way up ahead, the black car. I had no means to fight it so I got screwed and didn`t even get a kiss.