Are Automated Traffic Enforcement Systems Speed Traps? Technically Yes!

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Are Automated Traffic Enforcement Systems Speed Traps? Technically Yes!, originally submitted to photoenforced.com blog by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

Red light camera systems are only supposed to record an incident that occurs during the red phase of the light, but ever wondered how the system is triggered?

A vehicle triggers the system by passing over a measured distance in the roadway (two sets of inductive loops are cut into the pavement). These sensors record the time it takes for the vehicle to cross the distance between the sensors and calculates the speed of the vehicle based upon the distance and the elapsed time for the vehicle to cross it. If the vehicle is over the set threshold then the system activates. Thus the calculated speed of the vehicle is used to trigger the camera (which records and stores information for use in later issuing a ticket for the prosecution of a red light violation).

California Vehicle Code defines a speed trap (in section 40802) as a section of a highway “measured as to distance and with boundaries marked, designated, or otherwise determined in order that the speed of a vehicle may be calculated by securing the time it takes the vehicle to travel the known distance”. Speed traps are illegal in California.

So, red light camera system automated enforcement systems are technically illegal speed traps as defined in California law because of those sensors placed in the ground used to measure speed. Could this be a contributing factor to why class action lawsuits are finally being launched against major camera companies or why cities such as El Monte, Fresno, Moreno Valley, Union City and earlier this year, Costa Mesa, have shut down their camera systems?  –  blog submitted by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets. 

If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud or call us at (800) 850-8038.  For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689.  For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038. 

Certain Group of Drivers Able to Avoid Getting Nabbed for a Red Light Photo Ticket

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Approximately 30 years ago, the Confidential Records Program was started. Currently, CA law makes confidential license plates available to police officers and other state or government workers so certain workers can choose to keep their DMV info private, like their home address.

The law is supposed to keep certain information private like, the home address, to prevent say criminals from harassing, threatening, or stalking police officer’s, judges etc. This law has been expanded over the years to include numerous other Gov. or state worker positions (like park rangers) not just police officer’s or judges, and has even been extended to include spouses and children. Furthermore, employees can retain confidentiality for 3 years if they switch to a civilian job, and retired peace officers can remain in the confidential plate program indefinitely.

When someone in the privacy program is detected, the DMV can only release the person’s employing agency to non –police agencies and or to private companies that process citations for cities and counties. DMV cannot release a home address and therefore a violator with a confidential plate who is caught on camera can go unscathed whether they intend to or not.

There is no question that camera enforcement of traffic violations generates revenue for the state so if the DMV has a little more than one million vehicles registered to motorists which are connected to just a couple thousand state and local Gov. agencies which are of those allowed to opt for confidential plates, theoretically this so-called loop hole could prevent the state from collecting on millions of dollars from those state workers who are able to get around paying red light camera fines, tolls, or parking tickets. Assemblyman Jeff Miller has taken efforts in hopes to close the gap of this so called loop hole.-  blog submitted by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets. 

If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud or call us at (800) 850-8038.  For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689.  For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038.

What the Blank Data Fields on Your Automated Traffic Enforcement Notice to Appear Mean to You

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-blog submitted to photoenforced.com by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets. 

A red light camera ticket is mailed to you on a form (form  number TR-115) generally labeled Notice to Appear –Automated Traffic Enforcement and this form has data fields that are filled in with information like Name, Driver Lic. No., Age, Birth date, Yr. of Veh., Make, Color, Code and Section, etc. Sometimes many of these fields are not filled in and you may wonder why.

Well, some of the fields are mandatory and some are optional or discretionary (like the color of the vehicle pictured). The Judicial Council of California, Notice to Appear and Related Forms available here: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/documents/trinst.pdf

actually sets forth the mandatory fields which must appear and be filled in appropriately for the Notice to Appear to be considered genuine and valid.
Look to see if certain fields like your age and birth date are filled in or if the body style of your vehicle is filled in, if not, if these fields are left blank, then you might be able to get your ticket dropped on a technicality.-  blog submitted by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud or call us at (800) 850-8038.  For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689.  For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038.

Class Action Suit Seeks To Refund 3 Years Worth of Red Light Camera Tickets Issued In Santa Ana, CA

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 -blog submitted to PhotoEnforced.com by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets. 

The July 2010 Supreme Court decision (People v. Park) ruling in favor of the motorist ticketed for a red light camera ticket in Santa Ana, CA because the city lacked compliance with the requirement of Vehicle Code section 21455.5 (b) (that a municipality authorizing an automated enforcement system at an intersection comply with the prescribed warning requirements prior to issuing citations) appears to have opened the floodgates for litigation and paved the way for class actions law suits.

This is likely why the cities of Santa Ana, CA and West Hollywood, CA sent letters to the court in hopes of persuading the court to de-publish the decision, but it was to no avail as in October 2010, the Supreme Court denied the cities’ requests for de-publication.

Now, motorist Robert Plumleigh ticketed in Santa Ana at one of the sixteen camera enforced intersections where the city had failed to provide the required 30-day warning period, seeks to have all such illegally issued tickets refunded.

The suit seeks to refund tickets issued to motorists at the sixteen camera enforced intersections in Santa Ana, CA between May 2003 and November 25, 2009. The class action names the Santa Ana Police Chief, the Santa Ana City Attorney, and Red Flex (out of state camera company) as defendants, though Red Flex seeks to get out of the lawsuit, one reason being the warning period law allegedly does not apply to a private company.

Plumleigh’s lawyer was given until December to file for class certification.-  blog submitted by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud or call us at (800) 850-8038.  For Spanish, please visit www.Combatesuticket.com or call (818) 584-3689.  For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone ticket, visit www.fightcellphonetickets.com or call (800) 850-8038.

Case Study: One Questionable Stop at a Red Light could cost over $2,000!

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Here is one client’s case:

Client was issued a ticket for a red light infraction while making a right hand turn.  The California Vehicle Code Section 21453 Circular Red or Red Arrow states:

21453.  (a) A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown, except as provided in subdivision (b).

(b) Except when a sign is in place prohibiting a turn, a driver, after stopping as required by subdivision (a), facing a steady circular red signal, may turn right, or turn left from a one-way street onto a one-way street. A driver making that turn shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to any vehicle that has approached or is approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard to the driver, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to that vehicle until the driver can proceed with reasonable safety.

(c) A driver facing a steady red arrow signal shall not enter the intersection to make the movement indicated by the arrow and, unless entering the intersection to make a movement permitted by another signal, shall stop at a clearly marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication permitting movement is shown.

(d) Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal as provided in Section 21456, a pedestrian facing a steady circular red or red arrow signal shall not enter the roadway.

Ticket Cost:  $200 plus court and administration fees

Insurance Premium:  $5,995* annual for a Standard Insurance Policy, a male driving 6 to 8 years in Los Angeles with one prior ticket.  This infraction carries one violation point on client’s record, which could increase the auto insurance premium by 30% or $1,798.

For all the details on how staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud saved this client over $2,000 this year, give us a call at 800 850-8038.

As Published on PhotoEnforced.com Blog: First Court Case of Photo Evidence Dismissed

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at http://blog.photoenforced.com/2010/11/first-court-case-photo-evidence-is.html

2010 Marks the Year of the First Published Case on the Admissibility of Evidence in Red Light Camera Cases-blog submitted by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

Previously there was no case law on the subject of red light cameras and now finally there is. The case People v. Khaled (2010) 186 Cal.App.4th Supp. 1 was decided this year and is now precedent (pre decided cases on the same subject) to future red light camera tickets on issues relating to the admissibility of evidence and hearsay rules on red light camera ticket cases.

In Khaled, the court held that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting photographic evidence which contained hearsay evidence concerning the matters depicted in the photographs including the date, time, and other information– since the foundation for the introduction of the photographs and the underlying working of the automated red-light traffic enforcement camera system was outside the personal knowledge of the officer testifying in court–the evidence failed to establish each foundational fact and the photographs could not properly be admitted under any hearsay exception.

If the ticket mailed to you has a Certificate of Mailing stating it was mailed by an employee of the camera company and does not state that the camera company is a public employee or that they are otherwise employed by a public entity; if the person or persons who maintain the system do not testify; if no one with personal knowledge testifies about how often the system is maintained; if no one with personal knowledge testifies about how often the date and time are verified and corrected; if the custodian of records for the company that contracts with the city to maintain, monitor, store and disperse these photographs does not testify; if only the officer testifies on general information on how system worked based on his training and is unable to testify about the specific procedure for the programming and storage of the system information, then be sure to cite this case (case cite is People v. Khaled (2010) 186 Cal.App.4th Supp. 1) as reason why the citation should be dismissed.

The principals contained in the Khaled decision have created evidentiary hurdles for the Prosecution which could result in a significant number of red light camera tickets being dismissed. – blog submitted by staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud, helping drivers contest and dismiss their traffic tickets.

If you get cited for a red light photo ticket, contact us at www.staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud or call us at (800) 850-8038. For Spanish call (818) 584-3689. For more information on how TicketBust can help to beat your cell phone tickets call (800) 850-8038.

TicketbustCareers.com Publishes 5 Articles on How to Beat Traffic Tickets

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staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud’s sister site, TicketbustCareers.com has published five articles on how to beat various Traffic Tickets.

Please feel free to visit TicketbustCareers.com and click on the links near the bottom of the page.

Circular Justification on Red Light Camera Ticket Camera Program in Stockton

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We just stumbled on this published study completed on October 12, 2007 by the Stockton City Council. We just could not believe our eyes when we studied the justifications in this report. We would welcome your comments on this or other ‘justifications’ for red light camera ticket programs.

AUDIT SUMMARY – PERFORMANCE AUDIT: RED LIGHT CAMERA PROGRAM
According to the National Safety Council (NSC) in 2007, “motor-vehicle accidents continue
to be the leading cause of injury-related death in the country” and have a significant impact on the nation’s economy.1 In 2005, the City had 24 fatalities as a result of motor-vehicle collisions. In applying NSC’s calculable cost per fatality, we estimated an economic impact of $27.6 million. Red light cameras are an effective countermeasure to prevent red light running and subsequent accidents.

We have completed our performance audit of the City’s Red Light Camera Program in accordance with our 2006-2007 audit plan. The objectives of our audit were to determine if the program is
• meeting the City’s objectives (General),
• complying with the legal requirements for operating in California (Compliance),
• reducing the number and severity of accidents (Safety), and
• generating revenue or operating at a deficit (Financial).
Below is a summary of our observations and conclusions with a reference to pages in our Audit Report where additional information as well as management’s action plans and target dates for corrective are presented.
GENERAL
The City should expand the use of red light cameras. We determined red light cameras have reduced the number of red light violation accidents, the number of injuries, and the severity of injuries.
Finding: Program needs performance measures and periodic monitoring. While the Police Department performed a detailed pre and post analysis of collisions and red light violation data, results have not been compared to the program’s goals and objectives to measure performance.
1 National Safety Council, News Release, June 7, 2007 (accessed September 6, 2007); available from http://www.nsc.org/news/injury_data.htm.
PERFORMANCE AUDIT: RED LIGHT CAMERA PROGRAM
October 12, 2007
COMPLIANCE
City’s Red Light Camera Program complies with the legal requirements for operating in California. We determined the City’s Red Light Camera Program meets the
requirements detailed in the California Vehicle Code (see page 9) and complies with the yellow light timing standards established by the State of California Department of Transportation (see page 14). Additionally, the City does employ various elements to appropriately retain control of the program.
Finding: Encroachment permits were not verified for all locations where red light camera systems have been installed. Staff could not provide permits for 4 of 13
locations.
SAFETY
Red light cameras have reduced the number of accidents and injuries as well as the seriousness of injuries. Red light violation collisions decreased 9 percent since implementation in fiscal year 2004. The number of injuries and their severity decreased one year after implementation.
FINANCIAL
City’s Red Light Camera Program is generating revenue. The program generated net revenue of $183,078 for fiscal year 2007 based on estimated collections of $842,657 and payments of $659,579 to Redflex. The revenue generated is an estimate as detail data is not available from the San Joaquin County Superior Court. We wish to thank the Police and Public Works’ Departments for their cooperation in completing this audit.

Ticket Busters of California (staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud) is Now on Twitter

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We are pleased to share with you that Ticket Busters has created a Twitter account.  The purpose of the Twitter account is to share the lighter side of speeding tickets, traffic tickets and California laws.

Every few days we will be ‘tweeting’ about silly and odd laws in California, great sites we have found to help keep you from getting Red Light Photo Tickets and, once in a while, we will throw in some of the best bumper stickers we can find.

If you want to put a chuckle in your day, follow us on Twitter Follow Us on Twitter

First Phones with Cameras and Now Red Light Cameras with Clocks for California Speeding Tickets

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Have you heard about California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to turn red-light cameras into speeding ticket clocks, too? This latest ingenious idea would costs Californians over $300 million to upgrade existing red light camera devices to capture, not only red light offenders, but speeding vehicles as well.

Buried in the details of the governor’s budget proposal as “automated speed enforcement”, California’s government estimates that 500 devices would be upgraded in California. The speeding sensors on red light photo cameras would generate from motorists $337 million in state revenues, $296 million for the general fund for trial courts, $41 million for security, per year. according to the Department of Finance. These devices are proposed to catch 2.4 million speeders a year with a price tag of as much as $325 each depending on how much over the limit the device determines you were going.

These new speeding snap shots would result in speeding tickets being sent to the owners of the vehicles, leaving owners no recourse except to show up for court and argue the speeding ticket, unless of course, you tell them about staging-vadusuxe.kinsta.cloud and our ticket busting service.

Source: Excerpt from Governors Budget Summary 2010-11 (State of California, 1/8/2010)