There’s been some controversy swirling around St. Louis the last few years regarding Red-Light cameras. If you aren’t familiar with what they are (I guess it’s pretty self-explanatory), a lot of cities are using cameras in order to actually catch people in the act of running a red light.
Why is this controversial? For one, these are hard to prove if you fight them. The burden of proof is on the state to prove you ran the light, and one of the most common defenses that arises is whether it was you driving the car. A traffic offense goes with the driver, not the car. So the burden would be on the municipal prosecutor (I can’t think of a more unpleasant job than prosecuting all those traffic offenses) to prove that you ran the red light.
I’ve never gotten one of these tickets, and I don’t work in the type of job where I would ever have an occasion to represent someone that did. I don’t know the ins and outs of exactly how the entire thing works. I do know that if you’re willing to go to court and fight one, you’ve got a good chance of winning. Of course, most people just pay the ticket. In my state (MO), I don’t think it puts any points on your license, so it simply comes down to how much you value your time if you want to fight it.
I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Statistically, I believe that the data shows that fewer people are running red lights. So it’s succeeding – that’s the point, isn’t it? To get people to obey the law.
If you get one of these bad boys, I would actually suggest that you just pay it (if you’re guilty). If you’re innocent, or if someone else was driving, I think you have to fight it (of course). Or, if you’re just feeling frisky, you’re within your rights to fight it even if you’re guilty. I don’t think there’s anything immoral or wrong about doing that.
If you’ve gotten a ticket for running a light, or some other type of camera enforced incident, I’d love to hear about it (or how you feel about them) by email or in the comments. Thanks for reading.
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Minneapolis tried to get Red-Light Cameras going but ran into some of the legal issues you describe. They are currently turned off. I admit that I’m not the best driver in the world. I get distracted by the radio and conversations with passengers. To compensate I tend to drive slower. Twice I was hit (no damage) in the rear while stopping at these Red-Light intersections. The light had turned a stale yellow so I decided to stop. I admit that I probably would have gone if it wasn’t for the cameras (I hate paying fines). The drivers behind me didn’t expect me to stop. Given this experiance, I doubt they improve safety.