Huge city kills red light cameras

Red Light Cameras Gone

The second largest city in the US, Los Angeles, votes to remove red light cameras. Contrary to claims the system generated revenue, officials found the cameras were a net loss to the city.

Odd Traffic Stops

A woman in California got a ticket for wearing sunglasses. The officer thought they impaired her peripheral vision.

A Virginia woman gets a ticket and then runs over the cop's foot. Though injured, the officer manages to flag her down a second time. The driver is taken to jail.

Appealing is technical

A Pennsylvania driver appealed his conviction for possessing what the appellate court termed "prohibited vegetation."

But that court couldn't address any of his 12 points because he had failed to include "the transcript of the de novo hearing." Many legal rules are ignored at a traffic ticket trial. Not so when you appeal.

Traffic amnesty

Ticket amnesty for 6 months in the District of Columbia. If you got it before January 1, 2010, you can take care of it now without the late fees. Their last amnesty was 10 years ago.


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Red Light Lotto

A new law in Arizona reportedly changes the wording on red light photo tickets to say you don't need to respond. This kind of dings the safety argument.

Now it's just a lottery to see how people will write a check (make a donation?) without reading the notice.

9 Months

It takes 9 months to fight a traffic ticket in Los Angeles. With upcoming budget cuts, it will take even longer.

Texting

You can't text while driving in Wisconsin, as of last December.

Can a card save you from a ticket?

Get a PBA card and you'll never get a ticket, this web site says. Supposedly this is a card from the police union handed out to families and friends. Reportedly, a cop is less likely to write a ticket to a family member or friend of a fellow officer.

My friend Bill didn't get the memo. He pulls over a car and a cop flashes his badge through the window. Bill tells him to roll down the window. Cop doesn't. Bill goes back to his motorcycle and gets one of those really long flashlights. Bang. No more window.

(The driver complained. The driver's sergeant told him he should have lowered the window.)

Some people can't take a joke

Creative financing hasn't hit the courts. A Mississippi man gets a speeding ticket. Judge tells him it's $171.50, you've got 60 days to pay. About a week later, allegedly, the court receives a promissory note for $175 redeemable at the US Treasury.

In my court, we would have laughed and filed it. Instead, he's under indictment in federal court--$25,000 bail and a possible 55 years prison sentence.


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Old warrants return to haunt drivers

One guy had a cracked windshield ticket in 1982. Claims he paid it. 29 years later he gets pulled over and told he has a warrant. The court claims he never took care of it. Save those receipts!

This problem could become more common. St. George, Missouri reactivated traffic warrants from as far back as 2003, apparently trying to make some money. The current city administration is re-thinking the move.

Warning drivers without issuing tickets in order to educate them has become a formal program in Benicia, California (population 27,000) for minor offenses. The warning is noted in the computer, though. So next time you get pulled over for a similar offense, good luck.

Some Texas homes are getting calls saying you must pay this red light ticket now, over the phone, or a warrant will be issued for your arrest. What's your credit card number? The caller claims he's from the Department of Public Safety. Three problems: DPS doesn't collect traffic fines, supervise red light cameras or issue warrants.

Texting or emailing while driving becomes illegal in Indiana July 1, 2011. That includes both sending and reading.


---How to Beat a Traffic Ticket

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Florida city refunds red light camera fines

Pembroke Pines, Florida jumped into the red light traffic camera business a little early--before state law authorized participation. So they're refunding about 3,000 fines for tickets issued prior to July 1, 2010. Lest you think the city thought of this on its own, the refunds are the result of a lawsuit. The city admits no fault.

The Los Angeles City Council put off re-authorizing red light ticket cameras. Concerns that the program (sold as a moneymaker) actually costs the city are being weighed against an apparent reduction in accidents. One council member says there is no enforcement mechanism. He apparently believes the court cannot issue a warrant if you fail to pay the ticket received in the mail.

The city of Windcrest, Texas (population 5,600) is getting serious about warrants. They've got a little over 9,000 open cases from the last 11 years. On the last Monday and Tuesday of June, they're sending 8 officers out to homes, offices and schools to click and book. If the arrestee can't make bail (at $200 per violation), it's off to the county jail. (By the way, all cattle brand registrations in the county expire August 30 so be sure and get those taken care of.)

A police chief has been charged with receiving extra, unearned money for his Pennsylvania department. He allegedly filed inflated overtime and traffic ticket figures.. (It is unclear whether he is still in that position.)


---the essential guide to fighting traffic tickets is available here

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Senators ask for no dui apps

4 US senators have asked cell phone companies not to sell apps that identify dui checkpoints. Yeah, guys. We're spending all this federal money on checkpoints that don't catch drunk drivers. Don't make us look even worse.

How to double the effectiveness of federal funding for dui checkpoints:

At California dui checkpoint, it costs $2,800 to arrest one drunk driver.

What if I at the shift briefing held up a check. "The first officer to make 2 dui arrests out on patrol tonight gets this check for $2,800."

What do you think would happen? The effectiveness just doubled.

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Missouri has a law that a city can only make 35% of its revenue from traffic tickets. The officers in Lone Jack were a little too successful--the city had $19,000 of traffic ticket money it couldn't keep. (The money went to the state.)

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Michigan is using federal funds to step up seat belt enforcement during May. 95.2% of the state's drivers use seatbelts.

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Des Moines, Iowa is about to go live with its "automated traffic enforcement system" (what the rest of us call red light cameras). The local newspaper asked what happens if someone makes a legal right turn at an ATES intersection. No answer on that one.

The system can be used to alert police officers when a certain license plate is detected.


Image courtesy of xedos4

Electronic tics up, red light camera down

Oklahoma is implementing electronic tickets on its highways. No longer will the officer have to write a traffic ticket up. Instead it will be printed on site for the driver.

The ticket will be transmitted electronically and immediately to the traffic court. We haven't heard whether the driver will sign anything with the new system. The technology is expected to cut the time for a traffic stop by up to 66%.

Red light camera tickets going out in Florida? That state's House has passed a law that would ban them. The measure still has to pass the state senate and the governor.


---brought to you by How to Beat a Traffic Ticket: The Six Steps Guide. Available for just 99 cents from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download