- Use the existing California traffic law to fight your violation
- Save up to $391 in outrageous fines
- Avoid hidden car insurance surcharges
- Prevent a point on your DMV driving record
| |
Red
Light Camera Ticket - FAQ
Citations issued within the State
of California
The images in the red light
camera ticket are really not
me?
What happens if I was a juvenile
when this violation occured?
What are my plea options?
Can I go to traffic school more
than once within the 18-month
period?
The
images in red light camera ticket
are really not
me?
If you're not the driver
photographed in the citation, you
will need to complete the
affidavit on the back of the
citation indicating as such. Your
citation will not be officially
canceled until after review and
approval by the court. In other
words, you're not off the hook
until you receive confirmation.
If you use the postal service
send it certified with proof of
delivery, that way you have
documented proof.
Read your citation carefully,
you'll notice that the court
wants you to name the driver who
committed the offense. You are
NOT required to volunteer that
information unless you feel
compelled to do so. In that
scenario, the person you name on
the form will be cited and mailed
a ticket.
|
Is
the El Cajon Police
Department being
deceptive?
HighwayRobbery.net
is reporting that El
Cajon Police Dept. is
sending some drivers a
bogus notice in attempt
to coerce them into
revelaing the driver's
real identity.
|
What
happens if I was a juvenile when
this Red Light camera violation
occured?
If you were under 18 years of age
at the time of the
violation, you typically need
to contact the local police to
alert them that this is a
juvenile case. Check the citation
for information regarding
juveniles. When your appearance
date is set in juvenile court,
you will need to be accompanied
by a parent or guardian along
with your drivers license.
What
are my plea options if I receive
a red light camera
ticket?
With the citation in hand you
will need to tell the court how
you wish to deal with your
red
light camera
ticket.
This is called a plea. Basically,
you have five plea options: not
guilty, guilty, guilty with an
explanation, traffic school and
nolo contendere. Lets take a
closer look at each
one:
-
Not Guilty. This affords
you the most options because
you can always change your
plea at a later time. If you
visit the court and plead not
guilty, the clerk will set a
date for you to appear for
trial. With some courts, you
can do this by phone or
visiting the court. At that
time, you will also need to
post bail which is the amount
of your fine. Should you
decide not to contest your
traffic citation, your bail is
simply forfeited and the
conviction will go your
driving record for three
years.
- Guilty. Pay the fine
and the citation goes on your
driving record. You could also
experience an increase of your
insurance premium for a period
of three years. This is the
path of least legal
resistance, but the most
costly in the long run.
- Guilty with an
Explanation. Some drivers
will use this as a means of
telling a judge their side of
the story in the hopes of a
reduced fine. A guilty plea
still results in the voliation
being listed on your driving
record.
- Traffic School. If
you havent attended traffic
school in the past eighteen
(18) month, pou pay the fine,
a court administrative fee and
the cost to complete a
court-approved traffic
learning course. Attending
traffic school will,
typically, keep the infraction
off of your driving record and
will not result in higher
insurance premiums.
- Nolo Contendere. This
plea is typically used when
you're involved in an auto
accident. In essence, the same
as Guilty but the admission
cannot be used against you in
civil court.
Can
I go to traffic school more than
once within the 18-month
period?
According to Rule 851 of
California Rules of Court, you
can attend an eight-hour traffic
violator school once every
eighteen months. For some
drivers, this may be an easy
option because you simply pay the
fine, an additional convenience
fee to the court, then endure
eight hours of traffic
school.
Luckily, there are many traffic
school options; such as attending
a school with a comedy theme or
simply logging onto your computer
and participating in one of the
many online traffic school
programs. In the Appendix is a
list of DMV-approved traffic
schools should you choose this
option.
If you attended traffic school
within the last eighteen months,
you may not be out of luck
either. Theres a little known
provision called judicial
discretion which gives a
traffic court judge the option of
allowing you to attend twelve
hours of traffic school. The
catch is you have to ask the
judge directly. Your request for
attending traffic school twice
within the 18 months cannot be
made by mail or at the clerk's
window, it must be in front of
the judge.
Your honor, it has about a
year since I last attended
traffic school. In an effort to
maintain a clean driving record,
I am seeking permission from the
court to attend traffic school in
accordance to Rule 851,
subsection (c) relating to
judicial discretion.
|
