Free Talk Live

City officials this week spotlighted a surprising revelation involving red-light camera tickets: Authorities cannot force violators who simply don't respond to pay them. For a variety of reasons, including the way the law was written, Los Angeles officials say the fines for ticketed motorists are essentially "voluntary" and there are virtually no tangible consequences for those who refuse to pay.

"Red-light cameras would be banned from being used to generate money for cities under a bill moving through the state Legislature. If the legislation is adopted, San Francisco and cities in San Mateo County would be forced to prove that an intersection is dangerous before installing a camera there. Cities would be forbidden from considering the potential profitability of a red-light camera when deciding whether to proceed with a proposed installation."

Cop Shoots Protester the Bird at Red Light Camera Protest in Savannah Ga...allegedly .
We also review the LOLA's National Red Light Camera protest and see footage of different protests from around the country. We then discuss ways to combat red light cameras and run them out of your town.

Toledo Ohio city council votes to go after red light camera offenders

Automated ticketing vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) filed suit Tuesday against Knoxville, Tennessee for its failure to issue tickets for turning right on a red light -- and that is costing the company a lot of money. A state law took effect in July banning the controversial turning tickets, but the Arizona-based firm contends the law should not apply to their legal agreement with the city, which anticipated the bulk of the money to come from this type of tickets.

EDISON — It was the traffic ticket that put a despised multimillion-dollar state program in limbo. En route to a mall the day after Thanksgiving last year, Janice Bollmann was flagged by a red-light camera in Edison after getting through an intersection one-fifth of a second too late. Bollmann had no way of knowing what her routine traffic ticket would come to symbolize. "It may be the straw that broke the camel’s back," said Steve Carrellas, New Jersey representative of the National Motorists Association driving rights group, who assisted Bollmann in her case.

Have you ever suspected that your city or town is trying too hard to catch traffic scofflaws in the pursuit of ticket revenue? A Florida woman received a ticket based on evidence from a red light camera, but believed the ticket was unfair because the yellow light was too short. The power of math proved that she was correct..

The fine for running a red light is nearly $500 when city and county fees combined with various penalty assessments, which are set by the Legislature, and traffic school are factored in. The majority of the red-light camera citations, however, were for making right turns without a full stop, a $381 violation.

For two decades the insurance industry and ticket camera merchants have unsuccessfully tried to make photo radar a fixture of American Life. With the exception of a few cities dominated by cranks, social engineers, and nursing home residents, photo radar just couldn't disguise its image for what it really is, a device to milk motorists. The savior came in the form of the red Light Camera.