Best Ways To Contest A Red Light Camera Ticket

By Author: Tom Palmieri
Total Articles: 10
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There may come a time when a person gets a red light camera ticket. Although most people will just pay the fine whether it is true or not there are times when it might be right to fight the ticket. This is a list of some of the top ways for someone that chooses to contest red light camera ticket.

The first thing that anyone receiving a red light ticket needs to do is verify that it is actually correct. There have been instances where fake tickets have been sent out by companies looking to solicit information from people. Be aware that any ticket that is received will have information on contacting a courthouse and will, most likely, be able to get verified on the county courthouse website.

Once the ticket is verified as being correct the next step is to verify the two photos that are on the ticket. There should be two photos, one of the vehicle's license plate and another close-up of the driver. If either of these two photos does not match your car or you, then you can ask the court to dismiss the ticket. If there is doubt of who is in the photo there is a possibility that the court will dismiss the ticket as ...
... well.

If the photos are of you and your car then study the state laws for red light camera tickets. The laws governing the enforcement of a red light ticket vary from state to state so finding out these laws are vital to your case. There are states that require, within three hundred feet of an intersection, posting a sign informing drivers that the intersection is monitored by cameras. Other states require that the ticket be signed by a police officer, sent within a certain time frame, and includes address and phone number of the court. If your state requires any of the above information and your ticket, or intersection, did not meet the parameters then you can bring that up in court and ask for dismissal.

If you find that the intersection does not meet your states laws for notifying drivers you must take photos to take with you to show the judge. Take pictures from several angles and get either landmarks or street signs in the picture to verify that it is the same intersection in your ticket. If you do find it to be out of compliance you can ask a police officer to verify the information for you, if there is one around at the time you are taking pictures. Make sure the pictures are clear and show how the county failed to adhere to the appropriate laws.

Another defense for a red light ticket is that you may not have had time to safely stop prior to the light turning red. The ticket should list the time between when the two infraction photos were taken and when the light turned red. If that number is a fraction of a second you can explain to the judge that there was not an appropriate amount of time for you to stop prior to the light turning red.

If a person decides they are going to fight the red light ticket then they must practice what their defense is and how they will deliver it to the judge. Make sure any information taken to the judge is factual as not having correct facts could lead to steeper offenses being filed. Envision what will be said to the judge and practice it just like you would when delivering any kind of speech.

With these tips it is possible for a person to contest red light camera ticket. Taking these items in a step by step process will help make a decision on whether it makes sense to fight the ticket. An individual will have to take time to do these items but it can pay off with a ticket being dismissed.

Tom Palmieri is an independent writer with Speed Camera Detector. To discover more ways you can protect yourself from getting citations from faulty traffic camera detectors, visit http://www.Speed-CameraDetector.com/ for GPS and Camera Detector Locations Nationwide.