Most people in southern California and in other metropolitan areas have either gotten a "red light camera" ticket or they know someone who has. Still others wait for weeks, worried about whether they will get a ticket or not because they saw the "double flash" after passing through a red-light camera intersection. The best way to avoid a ticket in the first place is to obey the law and stop in time for the red light.
However, those that feel that they have been wrongly accused by the system have a friend in a consumer crusader, who is not a lawyer or in law enforcement. He offers tips and information on his web site about how you can fight red light camera tickets. The first thing every recipient of a so-called red-light camera ticket should do is determine whether or not it’s really from the court. Aren’t all violation notices from the court? No!
Perhaps you have heard of red light camera tickets being thrown out because the driver could not be identified. That may not be completely true. There is a kind of ticket called a "nomination ticket" which is actually a high-pressure request to the registered owner of the vehicle to snitch off the responsible driver so the city can prosecute. This happens especially when the registered owner's name is, say "Gilligan" and the driver looks more like Ginger; or if the owner is a rent-a-car agency.
Instead of tossing that potential revenue away, the red light agency sends out the "snitch ticket" hoping to find out the name of the driver. There does not appear to be any legal requirement to give up the true name of the car's driver, though many tricks and threats are used to obtain the responsible party's information.
So how do you tell if your ticket is court-issued or if it's one of these phishing tickets? Here are the hallmarks of the real and fake tickets.
| Court-Issued Ticket | Snitch Ticket |
| Says "Notice to Appear" | Rarely says "Notice to Appear" |
| Has court contact info | Says "Do not contact the court" |
| May have incomplete contact info | Contact info does not reach court |
| Citation number may be listed on website | Citation number will never be listed |
| Asks for the name of the driver | Asks for the name of the driver |
Information courtesy www.highwayrobbery.net
Note from HandelontheLaw.com: This article is to be used as an educational guide only and should not be interpreted as a legal consultation. Readers of this article are advised to seek an attorney if a legal consultation is needed. Laws may vary by state and are subject to change, thus the accuracy of this information can not be guaranteed. Readers act on this information solely at their own risk. Neither the author, handelonthelaw.com, or any of its affiliates shall have any liability stemming from this article.
