I found out yesterday that in my state that traffic tickets generated from a "red light camera" are not obligated to be paid by the driver. A red light camera is set up at an intersection with a stoplight to catch people running red lights - if it catches you, you are mailed a picture of your car in the intersection after the light turned red as proof. If you don't pay, there are no legal ramifications, nothing with insurance - no tangible downside at all.

So given the above, I was curious how many people would pay these fines and how may would not. See poll.

FTR, there were about 750K of these RLC tickets issued and about 425K were paid.

Of course not. By the way you are explaining it, the state ****ed up but still has a contract with the red light company, so now they are just trying to get some cash back from people who don't know any better.

I always wonder this about parking tickets out of town or state, too. Especially when they aren't issued by an actual government. I got a ticket once for parking in the wrong lot visiting someone at college.

I throw that **** straight in the trash. It's also policy that if for some reason someone answers the door and they ask for me the answer is "He's not here, sorry".

I had a buddy get served on one of these because his girlfriend answered the door and the guy was dressed like a UPS driver, so she said "yeah, just a second", boom! haha

They are legally optional, not just legally mandated but no consequences if you ignore the law?

Personally, I think red light cameras violate the U.S. constitutional right of confronting witnesses, though I realize I'm probably on some shaky legal ground there.

Garick, as I said in the other thread, here there are no individual consequences for your driving record or insurance since they can't prove who was driving, but the penalty attaches to the owner of the car and you can't renew your tags until you pay. Same with toll charges if you don't have an EZ-Pass. They bill the owner of the car, and won't let you renew until you pay (even though the toll road is run by a private company--they got a sweet deal with the government).

I don't think that applies if it is an administrative fine.

so yeah I'm paying.

Yeah. That hardly seems optional.

ive had unpaid parking tickets and never had a problem with paperwork. as above, parking on a campus was like a $15 ticket, threw it away. something absurd, maybe 80-120? in nyc, i dont live in the state, didnt pay. maybe $9 in total tickets in town (they bother sending meter maids out for $3 tickets) and didnt pay ever, renewed twice no problem. first 2 on one car, local tickets all on another.

years ago i got hit the the ez pass fine cause i was in a rental while mine was in the shop, going to work, didnt think of it at all. $2 toll cost $80 cause they had my card info. didnt carry cash or have my change, so i had to borrow $2 for the way home.

would never pay in op. yes its a right to face your accuser

I voted no based on OP, but if the rules are as gregorio explains I would pay.

he was talking about a different state with different rules

O'Doyle Rules! imo.

Then it's either not optional or people don't realize it's optional. Because if there were truly no strings attached there's no way > 50% of people are paying.

So tell us about your state and its rules... As I asked above, actually optional, or just required but no repercussions?

Yeah I'd love to know what state, and what 'rule'. Is there a court case or section of the state's traffic or criminal code involved here?

it's Tennessee

here's some verbage from a state legislator:

http://nooganomics.com/2017/08/traff...orceable-toss/

here's the same legislator summarizing what to do with these tickets:

I don't know what he's basing his argument on, but Tennessee code 55-8-198 pretty clearly allows them under certain circumstances. I'm guessing he's saying the state is in some way not meeting those circumstances?

It sure seems to me that they are legally binding, but there's just no enforcement mechanism. I would pay if they are operated under a law that has passed judicial review. If the law is problematic or if the users aren't meeting its requirements, I probably wouldn't pay. It's not just about the cost or the consequences though.

I got a $10 parking ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street at U of I (Champaign, IL) like 10 years ago. They still send me a notice about once a year. Think it's like $14.50 with interest now, but no effect on my credit score and my friends are all out of school by now. Good Luck!

This only somewhat related, but when I was younger and dumber I got a speeding ticket in Idaho. I was like, I don't think I'm ever coming back to Idaho again, and didn't think anything would happen if I didn't pay it, so I just forgot about it. Sometime next year I got pulled over in my home state of IL at 4am under the suspicion that I was drinking and driving. They ran my plates, turns out my license was suspended, car had to go into impound, and I spent the rest of the night in jail. Then I had to play some more legal stuff after that. So do don't that!

On the plus side the coppers didn't steal any of the $8,000 I had on me.

Thanks. The risk here is if people start blowing them off, they may change it back.

haha I did the same thing with an out of state speeding ticket, I got notice in the mail that my license was suspended thankfully, lol. Tho I had soooooo much annoying bull**** to deal with with the DMV of two different states to get that fixed. took like 2 years. Got I hate the ****ing DMV.

wow, that is actually legitimately shocking to me. Nice run good

Yea I got lucky it was in a rich, white, low crime suburb I guess.

Plus all the poker games I was playing in at the time were out in the 'burbs so if I wanted to play I'd have to take some sort of convoluted system of trains, public buses, and walking that would triple my commute time. Sucked pretty hard. It took a few months to sort out, not two years though, god damn.

****ing Melrose Park, Illinois got me for $100 a couple years back for a right on red. That state is so broke they are good at making people go to court and/or pay

https://abc7chicago.com/news/wrong-o...burbs/2024820/

I went online and saw the video from the red light camera. I didn't come to a complete stop, but the video ran at least 5 seconds after I turned and not one other car came by in any lane on the road I turned onto.

So you admit you were guilty.