OT: Questions about camera red light tickets???

[Heat Miser]

Heat Miser,

No, it's not the same thing.

You don't live in your car (hopefully).

Some states DO recognize that motor homes and the like are "homes" for Constitutional reasons, and the living section is protected under the 4th Amendment, but the area you drive from is not protected.

That makes sense, but still the police cannot search your vehicle just for fun, they have to pass various tests or be given your ok to do so. The funny thing here is that just 10 minutes ago I am reading the Chicago Sun Times (I live in Chicago) and the City has put up cameras 2 intersections. I am all for the red light cameras, I am just opposed to the laws that can be passed saying you are responsible for your car even if not driving it. That is ridiculous and only continues to happen because we are not complaining to our legislators enough.

The red light running is out of hand here for two reasons, 1) The various transportation departments cannot ever get light timing right, causing left turn red light runners to completely block the next cycle/direction's left turn signal.... and 2) Here in Chicago the patrol police do no write traffic tickets unless it is truly aggregious or you just piss them off. My Cop buddy says "thats for the traffic cops to do, I only do radio calls." Since the traffic cops are only assigned to Lake Shore Drive, it is impossible to get caught. The CPD does not even put radar guns in the police cars. Just the few "traffic" cars.

 

[George Dickel]

A number of years ago I looked at one of the recording devices in commercial vehicles in Europe. A relative of my wife was a truck driver and the vehicle had a recording device that used a paper disc that recorded speed, time driven and time stopped. Neither the driver or the company had access to the disc, only the police had a key that could open it. When stopped by the police they would pull the disc and if the driver had exceeded the speed limit he would be issued a ticket, same with driving more hours than allowed. As I said that was number of years ago and it is more than likely electronically recorded now. I never encountered a truck speeding on the autobahn so it was quite a deterrent.

 

[Zander]

Speed kills, huh?

Nope, but speed differential does.

Especially concerning vehicles driven by those absolute fools who camp in the far left lane of the freeway while other drivers buzz around them like so many angry yellowjackets.

After all, the speed limit's 70mph and they're doing 68mph, so what's the big deal?

Try that nonsense on the autobahnen and you'd better be prepared to pull out your wallet.

 

[CZ-75]

Try that nonsense on the autobahnen and you'd better be prepared to pull out your wallet.

Rechtsfahren is a good idea and I'd wish they'd spend half as much time on enforcing it as they do on speeding. I'd expect it to pay greater dividends for traffic safety.

Instead, static speed limits, well under the capabilities of modern cars, are deemed as effective safety measures, rather than dynamic limits that can increase for conditions when proper flow patterns are maintained. I'd say that lawmakers think about teens, old folks, and money when setting speeds, but not necessarily in that order.

On a local stretch of interstate w/ numerous fatalities, the state has massively increased the number and shifts of troopers, but the deaths actually increased, in spite of tens of thousands of tickets written.

 

[standingbear]

i know someone that got a speeding ticket by one of those cameras.they didnt find it very funny(we did) when he took a picture with a kodak camera of some money and mailed it to them.he eventually paid the fine,mostly in small change to spite them.just pay the fine and then see if you can recover the money from your friend later.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Heat,

No, they can't SEARCH your vehicle, but they can "plain view" or "eyeball" the interior of your vehicle.

If you have something in plain view, I believe a search is then warranted under probable cause.

Because you're in public, on a public street, sitting in your car and are viewable through the windows, there's no privacy issue attached.

"I am just opposed to the laws that can be passed saying you are responsible for your car even if not driving it."

Well, as I explained above, you don't get points on your license if you can't be identified as a driver, no penalty attaches to the insurance, etc. I'm pretty certain that all states are like that.

It's not treated as a moving violation in those instances. In that sense, it's the same as an expired meter ticket, parking in a handicapped spot, in front of a fire hydrant, etc.

Even if you weren't driving the car and parked it where the violation occurred you, as the registered owner, are still responsible. The ticket comes to you, and if it's not paid, it's your keister up the creek.

You're responsible for your property and how it is used.

 

[Mike Irwin]

George,

I remember those devices.

There were also indicators on the wheels of tour coaches that popped up if the driver had been speeding.

The coach in which I was riding in 1983 on a group tour of Europe was stopped in either Germany or Austria and the driver issued a citation!

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Speed kills, huh?"

A friend of mine is a cop. He passed on two saying regarding speeding related fatalities...

Speed's great, deceleration's the bitch, and

He died from an acute case of steering wheel poisoning.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Instead, static speed limits, well under the capabilities of modern cars, are deemed as effective safety measures, rather than dynamic limits that can increase for conditions when proper flow patterns are maintained."

Well, there's another, even MORE critical factor in there...

The apalling condition of many of our nation's highways.

My Father is a civil engineer, and started his career in 1956 as a highway engineer in the middle of the interstate construction boom.

He got out of it in the 1976s, just as the interstate work was drying up.

In his words, the interstate highways were built to last, but they were NOT built to be neglected.

Quite frankly, I routinely travel highways where I'm SERIOUSLY concerned that the posted speed is too high for the condition of the road surface.

 

[Heat Miser]

It's not treated as a moving violation in those instances. In that sense, it's the same as an expired meter ticket, parking in a handicapped spot, in front of a fire hydrant, etc.

That makes sense as well. Now if I can just tell the "Chicago Department of Revenue" (Thats what they call the meter maids here!) that I didn't park my car there, it was Bob Smith, no wait it was John Doe, oh hell, I was drunk occifer I don;t know.

 

[Russ]

I had a Toyota I bought new and drove for 10 years in the PRK and I never installed the front license plate. Even if you get caught with it off, it's a fix it ticket, no fine. Unless they are getting the rear plates too, that's one way to avoid it. In alot of states, no front plate is provided or required.

 

[Hemicuda]

Now, guys and gals, the US mail system IS a great way to get outta those tickets...

you see, I have a home address (where I DO NOT get mail...)

it is REQUIRED that the "home" addy is on my CCW permit and my drivers license...

both places ALSO have a "mailing" address which is a P.O. Box... I have had this SAME P.O. Box since 1981... (I was 11, when my mom got it, and when she gave it up, I kept it)

I got a mailed ticket from a parking violation my cousin got in MY car... and they mailed it to my address REGISTERED to me at the secretary of state, only thing is that they CONSTANTLY forget that theres a seperate mailing addy...

when I was pulled over, (in my small hometown) and my name came up W/ a warrant, all it took was the Judge noting that ALL the states paperwork had BOT addresses, CORECTLY labled, and that ALL correspondence had been sent to the address CLEARLY marked as "living address ONLY!", even though a "mailing address" was printed RIGHT NEXT TO IT!

Judge laughed at the warrant, and dismissed the case summarily... stating that if they couldn't read THEIR WN FORM, than they didn't need to collect any fines...

I TO THIS VERY DAY, keep my mailing addy and my living addy SEPERATE!

 

[Russ]

Hemicuda,

Did you have to spend the night in jail before you saw the judge? If you did, you more than paid the ticket in my book!

 

[Mike Irwin]

Hemi,

Woudn't work in Virginia, I don't think.

I think the "point of receipt" mailing address needs to be on the driver's license, but I'm not 100% certain.

 

[gun-fucious]

what is most bothersome about the trend towards red light based revenue streams is the possibility of budgetary shortfalls being offset by digital highwaymen

Once they get the 3rd level of technology installed in cars,
your car will debit your account as you speed.

Just consider it a usage tax on foreward progress