Red light camera 'ticket'

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Texas Proud

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OK... got a red light camera 'ticket' in the mail the other day... it was not me driving... but I do own the car...

SOOO, wrote down who was the driver and sent it in... as their affidavit requests....

Later, one of my sisters said that she has heard from people that will just write down 'I was not driving and you go find out who was'... basically saying it is not their job to tell them who was driving...


SO, today I get in the mail a letter saying that I did not have the affidavit notarized.... and I need to fill it out etc...


Now, I am going to ask if anybody knows what the requirements are for this in Texas and Austin if the city can have a different law....
 
I've had a few of these from several years ago, and I wasn't the driver, but there was no requirement to have it notarized. These were for failing to come to a complete stop when making a right turn on red, not going thru a red light. Actually, I think the ticket paperwork provided an online site to go to to view the infraction and also enabled immediate credit card payment of the fine, so nothing to notarize.
 
DFW_M5 said:
I've had a few of these from several years ago, and I wasn't the driver, but there was no requirement to have it notarized. These were for failing to come to a complete stop when making a right turn on red, not going thru a red light. Actually, I think the ticket paperwork provided an online site to go to to view the infraction and also enabled immediate credit card payment of the fine, so nothing to notarize.
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They have the ability for me to pay it... but it also allows me to say it was not ME... and I would not have to pay...

But, they want me to say who was driving... and they want THAT notarized...
 
Keep in mind that red light camera tickets are rarely, if ever, moving violations that go on the driving record. Yeah, there is principle involved that may or may not be worth fighting for, but if keeping a clean driving record is the primary motivation, it's probably not an issue. It's basically a parking ticket, albeit a possibly costlier one.
 
I don't know about Texas but in NY they are like parking tickets.
The ticket is issued to the car not the driver so it does not matter who was driving. So ultimately the person who owns the car is responsible to pay the ticket.
 
Follow the link below to an on-line traffic school for free information/answers in plain English to your questions about red light camera tickets in Texas. Or, if you don't think they are correct, you can start by reading section 707 of the Texas transportation code and try to figure it out. :facepalm:

https://trafficschoolonline.com/blog/texas-red-light-camera-ticket
 
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A few responses.... not DW, but DS....

It does not go on the driving record, but I did not do it...

I do not think it is the responsibility of the car owner according to what I read... I do not want to pay it.... it is DSs responsibility....

Thanks Car-Guy.... I did see the link you provided before posting... I just cannot find any real life example of someone who was not driving... most just tell you what happens if you do not pay etc...

I want to know what I can do and what would happen if I did it....
 
Texas Proud said:
...I do not think it is the responsibility of the car owner according to what I read...
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I'd be curious what you read that led to that conclusion. I've had a few of these in Texas. According to the information and affidavit on the back of the citation, it's very clear that the owner is responsible for paying the fine regardless of who was driving. There are a few exceptions such as if the car was stolen or sold prior to the violation, but of course you'll need documentation to prove this. If you leased the vehicle, you are required to identify the driver/lessee in order to not be liable.

My kids are still driving cars they had in college and are titled under my name. If one of them gets a red light camera violation, the citation is sent to me. They pay me and then I pay the fine. Pretty simple.

In my county, if you don't pay, your vehicle registration is blocked at next renewal. Some counties in Texas don't enforce this however.
 
We don't have camera tickets (yet) in Michigan. The whole idea seems Orwellian. Is the whole system run by a private contractor?
 
REWahoo said:
A more recent article: Why your unpaid red-light camera ticket in Dallas won't hurt your credit score anymore | Dallas City Hall | Dallas News
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Great article. The camers were installed in The Woodlands, TX as the township leaders saw them as a new and additional source of revenue. Since they are apparently clueless leaders, they had them installed at several intersections without first doing the required studies for meeting placement requirements. One astute citizen found this out and pressed legal action to have them removed. Citizens won out and they were yanked out. Cost the township $$$$ for the embarrassment.
 
aja8888 said:
Great article. The camers were installed in The Woodlands, TX as the township leaders saw them as a new and additional source of revenue. Since they are apparently clueless leaders, they had them installed at several intersections without first doing the required studies for meeting placement requirements. One astute citizen found this out and pressed legal action to have them removed. Citizens won out and they were yanked out. Cost the township $$$$ for the embarrassment.
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A similar story in South Florida. After being rolled out in many of the towns in the tri-county area, they were challenged, taken to court, and now mostly phased out.

My daughter got a red light camera ticket driving my car a couple of years ago. It came in the mail, I showed it to her, she took it from my hand and said "sorry, I'll take care of it". No points, just a fine, which she paid that same morning.
 
travelover said:
We don't have camera tickets (yet) in Michigan. The whole idea seems Orwellian. Is the whole system run by a private contractor?
Click to expand...

We have them in Texas but not in my county. In the ten+ years I've lived here I've been on every road in the county that might have any sort of traffic lights. I'd estimate there are 4 or 5 red/yellow/green traffic lights in the entire county and maybe another 6 or 7 red flashing stop lights. Add a few train crossings with red lights and that's about it. :)
 
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I once got a radar camera ticket a year after visiting Venice, Italy. The camera was on a causeway going out to the city for 1.2 mph over the 35 mph speed limit.

Worse part was they wanted the penalty wire transferred to their checking account--in Euros.
 
Bamaman said:
I once got a radar camera ticket a year after visiting Venice, Italy. The camera was on a causeway going out to the city for 1.2 mph over the 35 mph speed limit.

Worse part was they wanted the penalty wire transferred to their checking account--in Euros.
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That sounds pretty fast for a gondola? :D
 
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Bamaman said:
I once got a radar camera ticket a year after visiting Venice, Italy. The camera was on a causeway going out to the city for 1.2 mph over the 35 mph speed limit.

Worse part was they wanted the penalty wire transferred to their checking account--in Euros.
Click to expand...

What would they do if you didn't pay ? Give you a good paddle :LOL::LOL:
 
Sunset said:
One issue I have with red light camera's is they have increased rear-end collisions as people slam on the brakes to stop before the line when the light starts to change.
Red Light Cams Linked to Increased Rear-End Collisions
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Exactly what the result was here in Albuqerque. They were put in for red-light runners, not speeding. Private contractor owned them and received a majority of the fine, with lesser percent going to the city. The increased rear-end collisions exceeded the safety of less red-light runners. Also did not sit well with the public since the private company was in another state! After some period, likely the minimum for the contract with private company, they took them all out. As stated by others, tickets here were not moving violations. Just a typical politician money grab, disguised as supposed safety improvement program.
 
They had them and later took them out in Charlotte. I think there were citizens that fought and won on the grounds that it wasn't about safety, it was about raising money.
 
There were reports of some rabble rousers that made replicas of a city council member's license plate, put them on a similar looking vehicle, and then went speeding through several camera speed trap zones.

Probably just a rumor, but it seemed to have merit.
 
sengsational said:
They had them and later took them out in Charlotte. I think there were citizens that fought and won on the grounds that it wasn't about safety, it was about raising money.
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Here in Nassau County (Long Island, NY), a county which has had lots of financial problems in the last 20 years, they installed red-light cameras at several intersections in the last 5 or 10 years. I read stories about rear-end collisions rising at those intersections. There were also stories about drivers getting tickets for legal right-on-red turns. Other stories included the reduction of the length of the yellow lights to trigger more tickets and more revenue for the cash-strapped county.

Then, a year or two ago they installed speed cameras for school zones but there was such a huge outcry over that that they deactivated them. Most of those were not accompanied by a sign with a flashing light indicating to the drivers that the reduced speed limit was in effect. We had people getting tickets in some cases before the school year actually began, and it also fell to the drivers to know when that school was open, as a school's calendar did vary from district to district sometimes.

Most people just paid the tickets even if they didn't deserve them because the costs of fighting them (i.e. take a day off work to go to court) wasn't worth it. Furthermore, the cash-strapped county has added a big "administrative fee" to all traffic and parking tickets to anyone who goes to court, even if they WIN, meaning that as soon as you get a ticket, you will have to pay something. In the recent budget proposal, this fee has been increased to around $100, often more than the ticket itself.
 
Texas Proud said:
A few responses.... not DW, but DS....

It does not go on the driving record, but I did not do it...

I do not think it is the responsibility of the car owner according to what I read... I do not want to pay it.... it is DSs responsibility....

Thanks Car-Guy.... I did see the link you provided before posting... I just cannot find any real life example of someone who was not driving... most just tell you what happens if you do not pay etc...

I want to know what I can do and what would happen if I did it....
Click to expand...

Have you considered asking your son to pay it? After all, it was him who broke the traffic law and got caught doing it. That's how it works with MY kids - for parking tickets, tolls, and any other infractions they cause. Never had a complaint - they have always fessed up.
 
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