Los Angeles Red light camera ticket?? help please! (DMV, live)

[zigzagger]

hey guys, i was driving last night in la (i drove my car here from OR) and there was a yellow light, i was going to go through the yellow light but decided to stop and hit my brakes pretty fast. I then saw this flashing light, and then another second later it flashed again! However, i had stopped- when it flashed the second time i was in the same spot as i was in the first time.

I was about 4 feet past the white line though when i stopped completely- did i trigger the camera? if it flashed a second time to see if i was moving i would have been in the same spot as i stopped for the light. Im wondering a little though if it flashed for my car or for another one infront of me as it may have runned the red light- but i clearly saw the flash from where i was! im just freaking out a little about this. Also, my car and license are from Oregon, and not CA. but i did not run the light i stopped slightly past the white line since i stopped fast

any help is appreciated on this

[katenik]

It's possible that you won't even get the ticket, but if you do, you should fight it. When they first installed those things, they used to flash the second the light changed from amber to red, catching drivers still in the intersection. It turned out that the company that maintains the cameras was paid a percentage of each fine collected, so was benefited by programming the cameras with no grace period. Several lawsuits (or maybe just one class action) later, the state mandated that red-light cameras have to allow sufficient time for drivers who are already in the intersection when the light changes to clear it. The photo will state the time, within a fraction of a second, that you entered the intersection. If it was within the allowable range, you should never even see the ticket.

Tip for next time: Amber doesn't mean stop; it means the light is going to change to red and you should proceed with caution. You should have kept going. It sounds like you stopped just beyond the line and triggered the camera.

Oh, as long as the OR DMV knows where to find you, so will the local authorities. If the ticket goes to you at the OR address they have on file, you won't do yourself any favors by ignoring it because you don't live there anymore. You'll just walk out to the street one day, and find a boot on your car!

[Paula Lynn]

When you get that $300+ ticket in the mail, along with a picture of your license plate and picture of you driving, I would attempt to fight it.

[55555]

Originally Posted by katenik

It's possible that you won't even get the ticket, but if you do, you should fight it. When they first installed those things, they used to flash the second the light changed from amber to red, catching drivers still in the intersection. It turned out that the company that maintains the cameras was paid a percentage of each fine collected, so was benefited by programming the cameras with no grace period. Several lawsuits (or maybe just one class action) later, the state mandated that red-light cameras have to allow sufficient time for drivers who are already in the intersection when the light changes to clear it. The photo will state the time, within a fraction of a second, that you entered the intersection. If it was within the allowable range, you should never even see the ticket.

Tip for next time: Amber doesn't mean stop; it means the light is going to change to red and you should proceed with caution. You should have kept going. It sounds like you stopped just beyond the line and triggered the camera.

Oh, as long as the OR DMV knows where to find you, so will the local authorities. If the ticket goes to you at the OR address they have on file, you won't do yourself any favors by ignoring it because you don't live there anymore. You'll just walk out to the street one day, and find a boot on your car!

The reason it flashes right @ that time is because the yellow light means you should stop if you can. Most people here truly think that it means you should gun it to get through the intersection. That's what causes accidents. I don't think the original poster will get a ticket because it will show that they stopped. But, it sounds as though you were actually IN the intersection & should have stopped sooner. The busiest intersections seem to have those. Drive safely.

[zigzagger]

Hey again guys- thanks for the tips. i have 2 more questions

1) does the light flash twice to show that the car was moving? if so, it will show that my car was int he same place between the 1 or 2 seconds between the flashes

2) My car does not have a front license plate. None. i remember the camera was flashing INFRONT of me, not BEHIND me. does this make a difference? i do not think there was another cam to the back of me taking another picture. My car only has a rear license plate.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by 55555

The reason it flashes right @ that time is because the yellow light means you should stop if you can. Most people here truly think that it means you should gun it to get through the intersection. That's what causes accidents. I don't think the original poster will get a ticket because it will show that they stopped. But, it sounds as though you were actually IN the intersection & should have stopped sooner. The busiest intersections seem to have those. Drive safely.

No, the amber light does not mean you should stop. It means you should do whatever is safer under the circumstances. If the person behind you is likely to rear-end your vehicle because the light turned amber, and you panic and stop abruptly, the fault is your own. That kind of driving causes accidents; it doesn't avert them.

[KnoxTown]

Someone's checking those things, and yours sounds like an obvious mess up. You'll probably never hear about it again.

[greggd]

Originally Posted by zigzagger

Hey again guys- thanks for the tips. i have 2 more questions

2) My car does not have a front license plate. None. My car only has a rear license plate.

You are going to be ok.

[zigzagger]

hey guys- so you think this is nothing to worry about? Btw, since my car only does have a rear license plate (an i saw a lot of other cars that do) doesn't this make it very difficult for the cameras to work what they are trying to do?

[Bunjee]

Lemme know what happens. I got a violation in the mail myself. There was no mention of a fine, but some kind of signed acknowledgment that needed to be returned along with a copy of my license. If they return a fine, I'm fighting it because I know I stopped, dammit.