Copyless
Member
I don't know the law in other states, but in Georgia a red light camera ticket (don't have speed camera tickets) is a civil penalty and not an actual traffic offense like an officer stopping you and citing you for running the same red light. Here the officer citing you could be $1000 fine and 3 points on your license, but the camera sending you the notice (like the one you received) is a $70 dollar fine and not points against your license and it is actually not even reported to the DMV. The red light camera notice comes with a nice letter stating that your vehicle ran the red light, gives you like three pictures of your car crossing the balk line and the status of the light while doing so, along with the $70 fine and how to pay. They know most people when they receive this letter along with the pics and such, will just send in the $70 because they fear the penalties if they don't comply, but here if you don't pay the fine, because it is a civil penalty and not a citation (most do not know this, they think it is an actual ticket) the worst thing they can do is report it to the credit bureau, and I guess they could sell it to credit collectors if they are dumb enough to buy those types of "monies owed". So, basically I would almost agree with the other reply that stated "just don't pay it" again I don't know the laws in other states but if you were here and asking about a red light camera ticket, I would definitely say toss it in the trash and don't even think about it, unless you just want to give away $70.
I almost forgot, here in Georgia, the law also required the people that say you owe them money (like the fine for the camera offense) to send out a second notice by certified mail, if and when the first one was not paid, this one is required to prove that a person actually received the notice, without the certified letter the debt could not be reported to collected upon, unless the people just willingly sent the $70 in when they got the first notice (which probably 95% of the people do). In Atlanta they found the independent company that was responsible for looking at the camera offenses, sending out and collecting the fines, were not actually sending out the certified letters, so any reports to credit bureau's and collections started had to be stopped and they then decided that the cost of running the cameras was more than the revenue brought in (if people didn't just pay the fine blindly) so they shut them down.
I too, would pay my fine (if received) and rather have the cameras and have the officers concentrate on more important issues and crimes, but I hate to say this, but, DREAM ON, because this doesn't happen because they placed speed cameras, red light cameras, etc., in places. So I wouldn't pay it, and yes, for all the people that haven't received speeding tickets, red light tickets, etc., I have done both almost daily. I am not saying this should be done, because it shouldn't, but sometimes there are other circumstances that change situations, for example, I drive around 100-125,000 miles every year, and I approach lights that turn yellow while doing 45 MPH, but carrying 6000 pounds in the back of a pickup truck and towing a trailer weighing about 7500 pounds, it been sprinkling rain so the roads are wet, now I could lay heavily on the brakes and MAYBE get stopped before the balk line, or I may travel on into the intersection because of the weights and wet road, or continue on and run the light. I would take all factors in making my decision, but I will say that sometimes I stop and sometimes I "technically" run the red light.
I almost forgot, here in Georgia, the law also required the people that say you owe them money (like the fine for the camera offense) to send out a second notice by certified mail, if and when the first one was not paid, this one is required to prove that a person actually received the notice, without the certified letter the debt could not be reported to collected upon, unless the people just willingly sent the $70 in when they got the first notice (which probably 95% of the people do). In Atlanta they found the independent company that was responsible for looking at the camera offenses, sending out and collecting the fines, were not actually sending out the certified letters, so any reports to credit bureau's and collections started had to be stopped and they then decided that the cost of running the cameras was more than the revenue brought in (if people didn't just pay the fine blindly) so they shut them down.
I too, would pay my fine (if received) and rather have the cameras and have the officers concentrate on more important issues and crimes, but I hate to say this, but, DREAM ON, because this doesn't happen because they placed speed cameras, red light cameras, etc., in places. So I wouldn't pay it, and yes, for all the people that haven't received speeding tickets, red light tickets, etc., I have done both almost daily. I am not saying this should be done, because it shouldn't, but sometimes there are other circumstances that change situations, for example, I drive around 100-125,000 miles every year, and I approach lights that turn yellow while doing 45 MPH, but carrying 6000 pounds in the back of a pickup truck and towing a trailer weighing about 7500 pounds, it been sprinkling rain so the roads are wet, now I could lay heavily on the brakes and MAYBE get stopped before the balk line, or I may travel on into the intersection because of the weights and wet road, or continue on and run the light. I would take all factors in making my decision, but I will say that sometimes I stop and sometimes I "technically" run the red light.
Sponsored