Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Houston
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-05-2011, 05:48 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,514,062 times
Reputation: 18301

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodlands_guy View Post
Hello, so i got a ticket in the mail from one of the great red light cameras.
Should I pay?
what can happen?
can they issue an arrest warrent like other traffic violations?

thanks
Its a civil fine. You can be summoned and held in contempt not answering the summons. that would just cost more;you have a right to a trial remmeber if you want.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-05-2011, 05:56 PM
 
Location: Baytown
448 posts, read 699,182 times
Reputation: 207
Uh, no, no you cannot be summoned or held in contempt. Factually untrue. No summons is ever issued. You also don't have a right to a trial. You can ask for an administrative hearing, no jury trial.

Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav View Post
Its a civil fine. You can be summoned and held in contempt not answering the summons. that would just cost more;you have a right to a trial remmeber if you want.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2011, 06:00 PM
 
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,403,683 times
Reputation: 8955
Quote:
Originally Posted by baytownb View Post
I really don't know why we can't communicate, don't know if it's you or me or a combination. Let me try again.

Your belief was that if there was an accident like yours where both parties claimed the other ran the light and there was a RLC there that it would have been able to have been used in court to prove who actually ran the light, right?

At first I thought that until you posted the Sec. However I am satisfied with the fact that the Notice of Violation can be substantial to a case like mine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by baytownb View Post
My response was that it wouldn't be allowed to be used in court because it is illegal per the stated law.
Your response was that you didn't believe the law would prohibit the footage from being used in court for the purpose you were talking about.
Yes this is where the disconnect occurred. I thought that you were saying that if there truly were footage of red light runners causing wrecks then why didn't the city use that for political gain...which made no sense to me due to the Sec you posted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by baytownb View Post
My response was that if what you were saying were true, then COH or ATS would have gotten one of these people who won their case because of the camera footage and used them in their campaign to save the cameras. There wasn't any of this therefore it is further evidence that the cameras can't and haven't been used for the purpose of assigning fault in a court case where two people disagree about who was at fault.

So where did it go off the tracks? No I am not saying there was never any FOOTAGE of an accident like we are talking about in the 4 years, in fact I specifically said the opposite that there must have been hundreds. What doesn't exist is ANY example of ANYONE WINNING their case because they were allowed to use camera footage to prove their case.
We are on the same page now Wow we have made good progress in keeping it civil...yay group hug!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-05-2011, 06:03 PM
 
Location: Baytown
448 posts, read 699,182 times
Reputation: 207
OK now explain how a notice of violation you probably wouldn't be able to get your hands on with unredacted information that may or may not be issued to the person that ran the light and can't be used in court would be substantial in a case like yours. Trying to wrap my head around that one.


Quote:
Originally Posted by TVC15 View Post
At first I thought that until you posted the Sec. However I am satisfied with the fact that the Notice of Violation can be substantial to a case like mine.


Yes this is where the disconnect occurred. I thought that you were saying that if there truly were footage of red light runners causing wrecks then why didn't the city use that for political gain...which made no sense to me due to the Sec you posted.



We are on the same page now Wow we have made good progress in keeping it civil...yay group hug!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-06-2011, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Baytown
448 posts, read 699,182 times
Reputation: 207
Looks like the word is getting out;



"Millions of dollars in red-light tickets in Tarrant County are going unpaid, and cities haven't been able to do much about it.
They can't issue warrants and arrest red-light runners caught on video because those tickets are considered civil violations.
A state "scofflaw" program is supposed to give cities the clout to collect. It can block delinquent drivers from renewing their vehicle registration until they pay up. But as more and more cities try to take such measures to force drivers to pay up, they are hitting a roadblock."


"The city has about 60,000 uncollected red-light camera violations worth about $6 million, Lamers said. Arlington has about $6.5 million in uncollected red-light camera penalties and collects revenue on only about 18 percent of the estimated 30,000 delinquent red-light tickets that are referred to a collection agency each year."



Read more: DFW cities hit roadblock in collecting red-light fines | Crime and Safety | News from Fo...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2011, 12:30 PM
 
23,177 posts, read 12,060,033 times
Reputation: 29347
Quote:
Originally Posted by TVC15 View Post
That is not what one has to necessarily believe. The cameras no doubt lower the number of red light offenders and no doubt help some people to change driving their habits. But the main purpose of the cameras are to record the offender and fine him. That is it...which in turn lowers the number of offenders and helps to shape driving habits making those intersections safer.
Nice theory but the reality doesn't match. The data published last May showed rlc intersections saw 16% less accidents after the cameras were turned off in November which left officials scrambling for excuses like drier roads due to the drought.

And if rlcs were really an effective deterrent and behaviour modifier then we would see rlc violations precipitously decline after rlcs were installed. A rlc would eventually obsolete itself and lead to negative revenue. Yet rlc violations and revenues tend to increase over time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-07-2011, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,403,683 times
Reputation: 8955
Quote:
Originally Posted by DiverTodd62 View Post
Nice theory but the reality doesn't match. The data published last May showed rlc intersections saw 16% less accidents after the cameras were turned off in November which left officials scrambling for excuses like drier roads due to the drought.

And if rlcs were really an effective deterrent and behaviour modifier then we would see rlc violations precipitously decline after rlcs were installed. A rlc would eventually obsolete itself and lead to negative revenue. Yet rlc violations and revenues tend to increase over time.
Than according to your logioc that would mean that cops would become obsolete and our correctional facilities/prisons and jails would eventually become obsolete. By far we are seeing the opposite with over crowded prisions and jails. We actually need more cops in the city of Houston.

A cop sitting in the same spot everyday looking for speeders definitely changes the driving behavior of the people who drive on that road daily...but even though he has shaped the driving behavior of hundreds that know 90% of the time he will be sitting there. There is always going to be someone on a daily basis who will get caught by that cop.

So while the red light cameras do shape driving behavior... there will always be people that will take their chances...sometimes they win and sometimes they lose. And when they lose they will be fined and this helps to generate revenue for the state. Some like to poison your mind with shouting hey look at all of those who did not pay. Bottom line is that most pay...44 Million Dollars for the State. Getting rid of the cameras is not the solution just because some don't pay. The solution would be for the city to enforce harsher penalties and carry through on them.

Last edited by TVC15; 10-07-2011 at 04:14 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2012, 06:37 PM
JL
 
8,514 posts, read 14,462,662 times
Reputation: 7934
Does anyone know if i have to take defensive driving course(insurance go up ?) for a ticket as a result of the red light camera in Sugar Land? I looked at the video and i came to a complete stop before turning right, but it was past the middle white intersection line, thus the violation. I am hoping just to pay the ticket by mail and move on without it being on my record. Thanks.

Last edited by JL; 05-15-2012 at 07:19 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2012, 07:24 PM
 
19 posts, read 88,950 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by JL View Post
Does anyone know if i have to take defensive driving course(insurance go up ?) for a ticket as a result of the red light camera in Sugar Land? I looked at the video and i came to a complete stop before turning right, but it was past the middle white intersection line, thus the violation. I am hoping just to pay the ticket by mail and move on without it being on my record. Thanks.

No need for defensive driving.

Red Light Camera FAQ
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-15-2012, 09:44 PM
 
2,943 posts, read 4,963,482 times
Reputation: 3382
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheryjohns View Post
Reminds me of a story. The person who received the ticket sent in a photograph of money. The cops, in turn, sent back a photo of handcuffs.
HAHA! Really? They really sent a picture of handcuffs?

What a stupid question. If you get a ticket, pay it and be on your way before you rack them up and then $$-$$$ will be $$$$ and a nice orange jumpsuit
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Houston
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top