What to Do About a Ticket

My husband always uses Mr. Ticket for $99.00 He will fight it for you and so far he has got 3 tickets dismissed.
*not that my hubby is a bad driver but he drives about 50,000 miles a year*
Also it's the same place all the cab drivers use...

My neighbor got same ticket (right on red) she wanted to fight it too; until she read the ticket. Hers actually clocked her speed going through the light at 17 mph. Not really a chance that she actually stopped if she was going 17 mph according to the ticket. So she just paid and went to school. At a lower speed maybe it would be worth it to review the tape as someone else said you could do. Worst case is you still have the ticket and fine best case maybe they will reduce fine....

If you are in San Diego call Mr. Ticket. I don't have the number with me, but he works miracles. I think the attorney's name is Mitch Medhi.

Good Luck.

search for a free ticket attorney in your area. My daughter used one and the way this attorney worked is he does not pay for advertising, so he uses his ticketed clients to do the advertising work for him. Worth a shot. They go to court and get the ticket reduced or make it go away.

Hi K.,

My husband received a ticket in the mail for the same violation last year. He turned right on the red light, which was legal at that light, but he didn't stop. The pictures and time-stamps on the pictures pretty much proved that he barely slowed down - no cop, no stop, right?? :-)

His ticket was $401, we thought this was insane! We called to verify where to send the payment since we left out of the country soon after receiving, and they said we could come to the sheriff's office and review the tape with an officer. Not sure if this would be an option for you but if you feel the ticket was issued mistakenly to you, you might want to do that. If anything, maybe they will reduce the cost for you a little bit.

There should be a number on your ticket somewhere to call. Call them and ask them about coming in to review the video tape, this is probably your best start to fighting it and then go from there.

Good luck!

-Char

Hi K.,
Yes, I know exactly what you can do. I had 1 (that one I paid for but probably could have been innocent as I had entered the intersection when it was yellow - at the airport and lost) and then shortly after a cop got me turning - intersection clear and I was running late to get a child as my other had fussed at a store. If I had waited, I'd have been stuck behind a huge line. Anyways, I checked out www.trafficassassins.com and did what they said. I did pay the fine, but it was returned ($300 at that time) and no points on my record. On the back of your ticket it will give an address where you can contest it. I wrote a letter explaining the whole situation (I didn't go through a red light - I turned a corner on red w/o coming to a complete stop and there were no cars in the intersection). I drew a diagram of it. The cop never answered my argument that I mailed in and the $ came back. All the best with this. This was years ago and I always stop at yellows. But yellows are SOO long and my kids were saying I should go through them. So I started to. Then last week, I was going to an intersection when yellow and it turned red as I entered it. I thought it had the cameras and was worried. Someone told me she just paid $489. But there were no cameras there (phew - close call), so I am not rushing these yellow lights any more. But write an explanation and draw a diagram - if the light was yellow when you entered the intersection, you may have a chance. Take care, C.

Hi K.,
I got a red light ticket also. I was going through on yellow and it turned red when I was half way through. I was going over the speed limit at the time because I was late for work and didn't fight the ticket because I thought they would get me for speeding too. I wish I had fought the ticket since I found out later that they cannot use photo tickets for speeding. I wound up paying the huge fine plus doing traffic school on line. There are several on line traffic schools that are approved that you can choose from and you can do it in the comfort of your own home. If you have the time, try to go to court and get it thrown out. It's a lot of money. But, if you want to just pay the fine, do traffic school on line.

Good luck.

MORE A QUESTION SORRY; i WAS IN CONGESTED SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC AND CAUGHT IN THE INTERSECTION DURING THE LIGHT CHANGES AND THE CAMERA WENT OFF AT RED;;. hOW WILL THAT BE HANDLED?

I say...fight it! If you really believe you were right then you should look into it! $400 is a lot of money to our family so I would fight it...very politely mind you. :)

I got a ticket like this a while back. Mine was for $300. I was turning left with a turn signal behind a bus. For some reason the bus just sat in the intersection until the light changed. Since I was right behind him waiting to turn I couldn't even see the light myself. By the time he moved the cameras where snapping away. Terrible pictures they were too. I just paid the ticket; I figured they had me on film in the intersection after the light. What was there to fight? I hope you will share with me what you decide to do and how it turns out. Good luck, with big brother always watching good driving becomes less about not driving dangerously and more about catching those who make a mistake.

Hi K. O:

I'm really sorry to hear about what happened to you. I had to contest a ticket and I ended up paying a reduced fine after arguing my case. However, after speaking to a friend, they recommended Pre-Paid Legal Services. I wished that I had signed up with them before contesting the ticket as I learned that it would have been covered under my plan even if it had happened prior to my signing up with Pre-Paid Legal. Please visit this website: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/mochaij.

You did not mention the date of your violation summons. My understanding of Pre-Paid Legal Services is that even a previous violation could be covered.

I hope this helps.

N..

I once got a speeding ticket that was $600.00. I was like "No Way' am I paying that much. So I took a day and went to court and asked for a reduction and they brought it down to $100.00. It was worth it for me! I hope it works for you as well! Good luck!

I'd fight it. If your court date ends up being around your delivery, I bet you can postpone. But even if you had to hire someone to watch your kids while you go to court, it would be worth it not to pay $400 plus traffic court!

If you look at the ticket it should have a website you can go on and enter your citation number and watch the actual footage of yourself "running the light" so you can make a better decision if whether or not you want to fight the ticket.

Fight it. Those son's a b****** are so criminal as it is...
You will have difficulty but it is legal to turn right on a red if you stop first and look, in California. FIGHT AND SAY YOU DID. You have something on your side too. There isnt a policeman that stopped you that comes to court and always wins 'cause judges are always on their side, legal or not. It's happened twice to me. One time a cop couldnt even remember if it was night or day the time he wrote the ticket because it was 10AM and the ticket said PM and I had a fit. The ticket was for supposedly following a diesel too close*(I was gonna pass), and he was coming the opposite way on a two way highway and couldnt even see me, and said he raydared me at 47mph which he said was too slow for safety, and how could he radar when the truck was in front of me? HE WON. PERPOSTEROUS.

Wendy

Hi K. - I got a ticket in the mail from a intersection camera for making a right hand turn on a red. I went to court to fight it and it ended up being dismissed. I think it was because the court dealt with a few of the cases then when it got to a certain time, they dismissed the rest. At least 10 cases were dismissed that day. It may be worth a shot. Good luck!

Try going to the courthouse and reviewing the tape (if possible). If you still feel you were right, they may reduce your fines. There are also traffic schools you can complete on-line. Good Luck.

wow I can't believe they charge that much! I just moved here from Albuquerque and the light cameras are going up everywhere but the fine is $100. I guess you need to know if this was a legal turn signal intersection. I'm surprised that they check your speed to make sure you stopped and give a ticket! At least with your post we can use more caution.

My husband tried to fight a camera ticket and had no luck. He even went to court and watched himself on video. It was the same thing. He turned right on a red. Not sure if it's worth it for you especially since you're 35 weeks pregnant. Good luck!

hi,
i got a ticket once and i knew and my kids knew i did nothing wrong. I decided to fight the ticket. If the policeman/woman shows up in court to explain their side, you will definately lose. The judge ALWAYS beleives the police-person. What is a wise thing to do is to either plead guilty, or guilty with explanation. This is the court you attend first to plead your position, before fighting the ticket. If you plead guilty or guilty with explanation, the judge more than often lowers the price of the ticket. This court situation usually takes about 3 hours, if you can sit, and have the time, you may save yourself $100 or so. Good luck!!! traffic school you can do on-line. When i did the traffic school on line i didn't read all the info. I went straight to the questions. After answering a question, if i was wrong i looked for the answer. This takes 1/2 the time the test is suppose to take!!!

Go to this following website www.ticketassassin.com I was able to fight a speeding ticket.

Usually those lights have a camera and video rolling. So probably you did not come to a complete stop. They hear people say all of the time that, "I totally remember coming to a complete stop." So they show you the video. Then people say, "It wasn't me." So they show them the picture. Not really a way around this. I suggest just pay and learn. I know it is totally a bummer!

K.,

I got one of those! They are very tough to fight, but if you want to, there is a number on the ticket/bill that you can call for information on how to go about it in your county. They can send you more pics of the stop and when I got mine, it showed me from various angles not stopping for a light in a no turn on red light zone. I would never have known that it was that kind of zone, and obviously felt like a fool.

You have to appear in court and give a full spiel on how you didn't know and all that jazz. In the end, I just paid the money and was done with it. Because of the angles and the amount of money they can get out of you, they are very tough to beat...and in my experience from talking to friends, judges don't usually overturn them anymore.

Some things are just not worth fighting over.

Deanna

I think you should fight it. From what I heard, there is no police officer to testify, so for anyone, even those that were doing something wrong, like running a red light, they're supposed to automatically win if they show up at court. I could be wrong, but this is what I heard. Anyway, you were turning right on a red and you could simply explain that to the judge. There's no eye witness testimony from a police officer so nobody would be there to dispute it. $400 is a lot of money to throw away.

Good luck.

Hi K.,

Wow! What a shock that the ticket is so expensive!

I would like to suggest two things.

You can call the police department or the courthouse to find out what the law specifically states regarding your city and that intersection. There might also be something online that could help you.

The other thing you can do is get a pre paid legal membership. It costs $35.95 a month...you could sign up for it, call about the traffic matter, and cancel right away if you don't want to keep the service. I know they send lawyers to represent members in court for traffic violations, but the membership has to be in place before the violation occurs in order to go to court on your behalf.

They will give you advice on the phone and tell you exactly what to do to fight the ticket.

Let me know if you would like more info. I am a member of pre paid legal and also sell the memberships because I have benefitted so much from their services.

All the best,
R.

they have you on camera, there is nothing to fight. The ticket should explain what exactly you were ticketed for. You can call the number on the ticket and get clarification and then go online to check out that traffic code to see if you are in the right or not.

Hi Kelly,

I know that intersection, and I am so sorry for you--especially because you're pregnant!

Sadly, I do not think that the Vista court is reducing any red-light camera tickets--actually, I don't think they are reducing ANY ticket fines, really--our local cities need money in this bad economy too.

What I would do if I were you is to go to the Vista courthouse and view the video of your infraction. If it looks like you didn't break the law, then you can plead "not guilty" and have your case go to trial. The worst that can happen if you lose the case is that you are out the time and the $400 (and the traffic school time and money, sadly).

As far as I know, that light is not a "no turn on red" light. However, because I'm so paranoid about those horrible lights, I never turn on a red at camera lights. I'm sure I tick the people off behind me who are waiting to turn right, but I don't care. I got a red-light ticket a long time ago (I was totally oblivious to the fact at the time--I think I followed someone through on a yellow without thinking about it), and I never want to get one of those again.

Good luck to you--
D.

If you choose not to fight it and opt instead for traffic school, you can now do these either on line or through the mail. As mentioned by others, it may be worth to fight it if only to reduce the bond amount. Nothing ventured nothing gained I always say!

I received the same ticket but my ticket was $600.00. I was making a right turn. I did not believe I ran the red light until I went on the website to view it. I did not come to a complete stop. My husband also got a red light ticket and his was $400.00. It is just a hassel to fight any ticket. I recevied a previous ticket and went to traffic school when I was 9 months pregnant. It was horrible it was uncomfortable sitting for that long in those tiny(well they seemed tiny)seats. I had to go so my insurance would not go up. Good Luck.
-T.

Wow, that stinks. We have several of these camera lights in our area too. My mom was coming to a dr's appt. very close to where I work and got one too. She did not stop completely at the light before she turned right. It actually indicated her mph right on the info they mailed her. I don't think many people "win" fighting these tickets, but you have to do what you think is right...good luck!

Fight fight fight! This will raise your insurance as well. Go back to that intersection, park your car, take pictures or video of it from different angles. You need to check to see if there is a sign "NO TURN ON RED LIGHT". If there is no such sign, then a right turn on a red light should be perfectly legal. Just because they took a picture doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Go to court and make them prove it. Ask the judge what law you violated? These cameras just take a picture of anyone in the intersection when the light changes. It does not mean you did anything illegal. The only thing that might be a problem is that you should make a full stop before making the right turn. But if you did and the camera didn't show it, how can they prove that you didn't?http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=... This is the link to the CA vehicle code. I took a look at the section on turns one on traffic devices (signals).
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh...
(b) Except when a sign is in place prohibiting a turn, a driver,
after stopping as required by subdivision (a), facing a steady
circular red signal, may turn right, or turn left from a one-way
street onto a one-way street. A driver making that turn shall yield
the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk
and to any vehicle that has approached or is approaching so closely
as to constitute an immediate hazard to the driver, and shall
continue to yield the right-of-way to that vehicle until the driver
can proceed with reasonable safety.

If you want to make sure contact a lawyer that specializes in traffic law. A quick consultation might ease your mind. If it proves true that you have done nothing wrong, you might want to file a suit to have the camera lights modified or the city to look at the pictures before they send out a ticket. I bet the whole procedure is computerized. Take a look at the number on the code violation they sent you and check it against the vehicle code link I sent you. If it doesn't match, you may just get the case dismissed. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Once you've been issued a citation for running a red light, captured on a traffic camera (NOT cited by an officer) appear in court on the date you are notified of.

Step2
Rather than immediately pay the ticket when you get to the courthouse, request a trial. It will be a bench trial because running a red light is a traffic infraction. For all infractions, there is not right to a jury trial so it will be a "bench trial;" that is, it will be a trial decided by a judge not a jury of your peers.

Step3

Avoid stipulation. The day you show up for your hearing, the officers who are appearing against you will likely be waiting outside the courtroom with their snazzy equipment offering to show you the video/picture images of you committing the violation. They'll explain how it all works and sheepishly apologize for your bad luck of getting caught. Then they usually tell you that to make everything go "smoothly" in front of the judge, when he asks if you want to "stipulate" to letting the video be seen by the court, just agree. Here is where you nod along with the officer and when you get into court you confidently say, "NO, thank you, your honor." By stipulating you give up your ONLY chance to beat this ticket. The officer knows he can't lay the foundation to get the video admitted into evidence unless you stipulate because the alternative would involve bringing the custodian of these videos, who are usually located in another state, along with him to the hearing.

Step4

You win! If the court doesn't get to see the video, because you didn't stipulate and there was no officer there to see you run the alleged red light, there is no evidence of your crime and you win! No fine, no traffic school, no increase in insurance rates.