Most of Orange County cities have stopped using red light cameras, except for Garden Grove and Los Alamitos. In those two cities, drivers continue to receive pictures of their vehicles driving through intersections with notices of a red light violation.
However, drivers throughout the rest of Orange County may run a red light without receiving a ticket, unless a police officer witnesses the red light violation. Therefore, in some cities, the number of red light tickets is lower because police officers are not able to issue as many written tickets as red light cameras can issue.
Can You Fight A Red Light Camera Ticket?
Yes, you can fight a red light camera ticket. Running a red light is surprisingly a costly offense in California. Depending on the jurisdiction, a red light ticket can cost you between $100 and $400. In some counties in California, you could also receive points against your driver’s license for running a red light. Tickets against your driving record can also increase your car insurance premiums.
A cheap traffic ticket attorney can review your case to determine if the ticket was issued in error. The cameras are not always accurate. If they are not properly maintained, the camera could issue a ticket even though your vehicle was not actually in the intersection when the light was red. Also, if the yellow lights are not calibrated correctly, there could be too short of a pause between the caution light and the red light.
In some cases, you can fight the red light ticket if you were not driving the vehicle. The red light ticket is issued directly to the registered owner of the vehicle. However, if you were not driving, you should not be liable for the red light ticket. Likewise, if the picture taken by the red light camera was blurry, the state may not be able to prove that you were the person driving the vehicle.
Should I Ignore a Red Light Camera Ticket?
You may have heard that if you ignore a red light ticket, the state will dismiss the ticket. That is a gamble that you may not want to take. Ignoring the ticket could result in points against your driver’s license. Even if you don’t pay the fine for running a red light, your car insurance premium could increase substantially. If you have numerous points against your driver’s license, another ticket could result in a suspended driver’s license.
Instead of ignoring the red light camera ticket, work with a cheap traffic ticket attorney to have the ticket dismissed. In some cases, if the ticket cannot be dismissed, an attorney may be able to lower the ticket to a non-point offense with a lower fine.
Contact a Cheap Traffic Ticket Attorney for Help
If you have a traffic ticket, don’t immediately pay the fine or plead guilty. First, check with a cheap traffic ticket attorney to determine if you can get out of the ticket. Contact us today.