Fighting Red Light Camera Violation Tickets
I was caught running a red light by a red light camera in downtown Baltimore three weeks ago (the notice came in the mail last week) and did a little searching online to see whether I had much of a chance contesting it. The reality is that I ran it because I didn’t want to slam on the breaks to stop myself and because I thought I could make it, in actuality I didn’t make it and am entirely guilty. Even though I was guilty, I still wanted to see what my options were since the ticket was going to cost me $75 (no points, so no insurance ramifications) and I figured that warranted at least a little bit of digging with Google for potential solutions.
(In the end, I paid the $75.)
The best traffic ticket information website out there has to be Ticket Assassin, their red light ticket section has all sorts of good information worth reading and where I did most of my research. The only downside is that the site is focused on California residents and residents of other states can only use this as a frame of reference. For information about the red light camera program in Baltimore, check out the City of Baltimore red light camear page. I think Ticket Assassin gives you a good idea of the sort of red tape you’ll have to go through, in any state, before you’ll be let off the hook.
The reason I didn’t contest the red light ticket was because I felt my time was worth more than the $75 fine. I didn’t want to contest the ticket and then have to spend all the time (a few hours) and gas (I’d have to drive downtown, likely in the middle of the day) it would take to go to the courthouse and try to conjure up some excuse as to why I shouldn’t get the ticket. And, if I failed, then the ticket would be $100 + court fees, adding insult to perceived injury. In the end, it’s wasn’t worth it to me.
For those of you who think I should’ve contested it out of principle… sorry, I just don’t feel that the use of red light cameras is such an injustice. Plus, I didn’t want to pay an extra $25+ considering I was absolutely guilty.
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There are 14 comments, add your thoughts now!
I think you made the right financial choice. I would have done the same thing.
Now, what would you have done if you were innocent — say, you went through the light when it was yellow (or at least you thought it was). Would you have fought just on principle?
They have people verifying the ticket before they send it out, unless it was something that was obviously erroneous I probably wouldn’t contest it either because I wouldn’t know. If it was a clear error (like it wasn’t my car), then I would have to research really how long it would ‘probably’ take to contest and decide. If it was an hour or two, maybe… anything longer and I’d probably just eat it.
How much per year will this cost you in insurance premiums?
None, no points and it’s not reported… basically it’s like me hanging the cop $75 and him telling me to have a nice day, Tijuana-style.
ticket assassin is by far, the best resource for fighting a traffic violation ticket (in california)
numerous friends of my tried the system reference out and most have positive result. I wonder do they still have that honor system to download first, then send in money second. heh.
gotta agree w/ the choice too, especially since you did run it. there was a few times where I got my mugshot taken at the light due to the detection’s error.. and never once was a ticket mailed out.
the one time I did ran a light was also the first time caught by the camera, luckily it was also the first time I got the car.. so no license plate.
There’s a state minimum for the yellow portion of a traffic light. I think it’s 3 seconds. If you can prove that the light was not following it (and therefore giving you a reasonable chance at the speed limit to come to a controlled stop), there’s a chance to beat it. That’s all I know. I drive like a 80 year old, so I’ve never had the chance to find out.
Yeah, I’ve read about that but nothing on the letter indicates the yellow light time and I believe you have to get them to calibrate it or something to figure out the actual time it gave you. What if they go calibrate it, find out it exceeds that time, do I have to pay for the cost of the cop to go out there? I guess I could’ve but unless it was an easy eyeball check, forget it.
FMF -
Yellow means prepare to stop….trying to beat a yellow light is illegal if it turns red while you are in the intersection. According to police when you are approaching a light, you should be prepared to stop (ie not try to keep going because it’s yellow).
Last night, i was driving and i was on the phone with someone. The light turned yellow but i didnt stop cuz i didnt wanna slam the break and endup skidding in the middle fo the intersection. The light was literaly about 1 second before it turned red. Im pretty sure about it cuz i even counted in the back of my head instead of responding the person on the phone i was talking to.
Ticket Assassin doesn’t provide that much information and they are completely unresponsive to emails. I tried to fight my ticket with them and they took my $25 and never provided any assistance. What a shame.
I second what Melinda said.. I paid them in January and even filed a request to get access to their exclusive membership area and have yet to hear anything from them. Don’t give them a dime unless you feel generous. Another option is to check with the National Motorists Association however their legal kit is a bit pricey.
**WARNING TO ALL - PLEASE READ [B][U]BEFORE[/U][/B] YOU WASTE THE $25.00!!**
1.) MOST information that’s helpful is FREE on the site. You can access it as a non-paying member. But honestly, you can find most of it online via your local DMV or courthouse information already. A google search also brought up the info for me. Basically just look up how to do a TRIAL BY DECLARATION, and if you lose that, then you can request a new trial. You can also search the DMV database to find specifics on the actual law you broke by it’s number. EG: “Basic Speed Law”, etc.
2.) The promise “Patrick” Bernard Mulroy makes to give you personal advice via email is a total and complete LIE. He WILL NOT respond to ANY email sent to EITHER email address he gives you after you pay and register, NOR will he respond to the unpaid form email you can send directly from the site. I did several tests with all email addresses given (including the “URGENT” email address that he promises to respond back to before 24-48 hours). In the tests I did, I emailed from different email addresses I own, just to see if he would respond to one person and not another for some reason. This went on for several months. [B][U]HE NEVER REPLIED ONE SINGLE TIME TO ANY EMAILS I SENT TO HIM. NEVER. [/U][/B] When you email him as a paid member, you aren’t just emailing to a person. Your email generates a “post” on a help board and it states on there that someone from his website will post a response back. NOTHING comes of this. EVER.
In my case, I paid the $25 specifically so that I could ask him directly what to do in my own ticket situation. All that I got for the $ was “access” to a couple examples that someone might use in their ticket defense. In my case, none of them applied and all I got a ticket for was breaking the speed law. The examples they had online (I think there were three??) all didn’t apply to me, so I needed to specifically ask him about my scenario. For example, one of the questions I had was about “laser” versus “radar”.
Because I paid through Paypal, they do NOT, repeat, DO NOT refund your money for services not rendered. Not receiving the service you were promised and paid for does not warrant a refund from Paypal, they simply do not care. Please keep this in mind. You will NOT get your money back.
TICKET ASSASSIN IS A SCAM. Please do not become yet another victim scammed by this dishonest person. Charging for access to free advice would be fine if that’s what the $25 was for… but to PROMISE to give one on one personal advice and simply refuse to even answer one email after several months is not only appalling, but is FRAUD.
You have been warned.
I registered and paid by credit card on the 14th of April, 08. My card was charged on the 15th. They still show me as unpaid. No response to myriad email requests on my part. It’s clearly a scam. DON’T USE TICKET ASSASSIN!
i have to agree with all the other folks about the patrick mulroy and his ticket assassin website. i got a ticket for red light/limit line violation and i kept trying to email him and he never responded, NEVER! Even after several attempts. he is a joke and his website is a scam - be warned. if you have a special situation that you need help with you can forget it, and THATS A PROMISE FROM ME TO YOU.
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