School zone question

[ctr88]

Originally Posted by Yakscsd

Sounds like an easy case to win, based on what is presented here. But, I would take pictures, both directions, and I would do it today, before one appears.

I don't think its going to be an easy case to win. I was the one driving and the photo tickets were during the marked times on the signs. I guess I could try to see if the zones are more than 1,090 feet from the school (but they must be or why would they put the school zone speed limit there to begin with?). I don't know how I would measure something like this? Hard to know where the boundary of the school ends.

Also on the tickets it does say you can mitigate or contest. With mitigate I think my only defense could be I was new to the area and got a bunch of these all at once before I knew what was going on, and try to get them to reduce it to one ticket. I don't see how else I can fight these?

These photo tickets are really terrible and should be illegal (like that have become in many states). In Seattle it is a $234 ticket for going 21mph in a 20mph photo enforced school zone!! I'm sure the cities income skyrockets once they implement these. For people that are totally new to driving a particular street with a photo school zone, you would literally have to stop and get out of you car to read those signs they are so complex with the rules and times. This is a terrible trap for people and is totally unjust. And there is no way for the city to really prove that their photo and speed technology they use is flawless.

It just sucks, that is money you work really hard for that they are stealing from you! This would pay for a ticket to Hawaii! Ugh!

[Botev1912]

I absolutely agree with you. I hope you win.

[ctr88]

I was doing a little research and these school zone speeding tickets were only $189 back in 2013 in Seattle now they are $234. Nice price inflation there. If there are similar number of infractions as previous years this will being in almost $12 million in revenue to Seattle in 2016! $12 million just for photo school zone tickets! What a giant scam. Outright criminal theft IMO.

[ctr88]

Here are some stats I dug up from Seattle photo enforced school zone speeding tickets from 2013:

Total cases: 50,560
Paid in full, uncontested: 31,466
Defaulted (went unpaid) 7,941
Full or partial payment after a challenge or mitigation 6,795
Pending 2,040
Canceled 1,463
Dismissed as “not committed” 855

....So only 855 were dismissed. That tells me that it is not worth trying to contest it, odds are very small you can win. It says 6,795 had a full or partial payment after mitigation, but does not say how much was partial. So mitigation look like it has better odds. Two of my school zone tickets are in Lake Forest Park and one is in Seattle.

[Botev1912]

Mitigation is usually half of the full amount.