Did
you get a red-light camera ticket? Did you pay the fine? If you did, then
you’re a sucker.
That's the message that motorists in Los Angeles got when it was revealed
that red-light camera fines – some of which were as high as $476 – were
actually “voluntary.”
The Los Angeles Times has the story:
City officials this week spotlighted a surprising revelation involving
red-light camera tickets: Authorities cannot force violators who simply
don't respond to pay them. For a variety of reasons, including the way
the law was written, Los Angeles officials say the fines for ticketed
motorists are essentially “voluntary” and there are virtually
no tangible consequences for those who refuse to pay. […]Unlike other moving citations, which are issued directly by a police
officer to a driver who signs a promise to appear in court, red-light
camera tickets are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle allegedly
involved in the violation.That has limited the Los Angeles County Superior Court system’s
willingness to aggressively enforce camera ticket collections for the
city and 32 other photo enforcement programs in Los Angeles County,
officials said.Under state law, court officials have discretion over how they
pursue those who do not respond to camera-generated citations. Los Angeles
County Superior Court officials, as a matter of fairness, said that
for the last decade they have chosen a less forceful approach partly
because the person receiving the ticket may not be the person who was
driving the car.
Link
(Photo: Glenn Koenig)
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Paying Red-Light Camera Fines Are For Suckers!