For Immediate Release

Law Offices of
Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson
A Partnership Including Professional Corporations
426 Culver Blvd.
Playa del Rey, CA 90293
Office – 310-822-9848 / 800-405-4222
Fax – 310-822-3512
www.ssjlaw.com

GOT A RED LIGHT CAMERA TICKET? 

“Was that a flash?” you ask yourself as you’re driving through the intersection, knowing that you were proceeding safely and hoping the camera’s picture shows you were already in the intersection when the light changed from yellow to red. 

It will take about a month to know if you’ll be issued a ticket in the mail for running a red light, or for a rolling right turn violation. Hopefully you won’t receive a citation but if you do, here are your options. 

Who Was Driving?
If the camera’s picture shows that someone else, and not the owner, was driving your car (with your license plate number), you may receive what is called a “snitch ticket” from the police department. But this is not an “official” ticket and does have the complete information (Notice to Appear) about how to contact the court. With a “snitch ticket”, the police are pressuring you to come forward and identify who was driving your car. You have the right to remain silent, but be sure to understand what type of ticket has been issued. 

It Was You Behind The Wheel
Once you have received your ticket, there are several decisions to make. The citation fine and traffic school fees are approximately $500. But by paying the fine and attending traffic school, it will keep the violation off your DMV record and prevent higher insurance costs. Just don’t get issued another traffic ticket in the next 18 months, because you may not be able to again attend traffic school.

Contesting the Citation
A red light camera ticket in the State of California is difficult to contest. In 2009, Los Angeles had revenue of over $6 million from camera citations and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants the cameras to be upgraded to also catch speeders. 

If you choose to represent yourself, here’s what should happen.

File a discovery request, to get as many documents as possible about your case. These documents would include - the original contract between the government agency and the red light camera manufacturer, the camera’s maintenance record; high resolution images of the driver and the entire red light video 12 second sequence; signal timing charts and the source code used in programming the red light camera.

Apply for a trial by written declaration. If you lose in written declaration, go to court and tell your story to the judge. 

Several defense options include - was it an unclear picture of the driver, poor signage, a malfunctioning camera and inaccurate yellow light timing. 

You Decide
You can always pay the ticket and traffic school fees. But you can choose to contest, and you just may win if you are prepared.

Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson represents clients in civil trials and is a licensed California law firm. All information in this press release is based on California law.