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I may be getting one of those red-light-camera traffic tickets in the mail soon. This afternoon at Buckley Road and Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, I drove a full car-length past the white line before stopping for the red light and then making my right-turn on red. The white line at most of these intersections is set too far back to see anything so many of us have gotten into the habit of driving past it to a point where we can see the traffic. I pretty much broke myself of that habit but this afternoon I had a mental lapse. Durn it.
EDIT: SPRINGFIELD — Traffic tickets from much-despised red-light cameras will be a little easier to fight next year under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Pat Quinn.
The new law gives motorists more leeway in filing an appeal to a red-light citation and requires independent verification of an alleged violation before a ticket is issued.
The measure bans the city of Chicago and suburbs from tacking on a fee to the standard $100 fine if a ticket is appealed, a common practice that can deter a motorist from fighting the charge.
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This is the problem I have with (one of many) red light cameras and many traffic laws.
ReplyDeleteDid your actions endanger anyone or did they help keep people safe?
To me, the only reason to get a ticket would be an action that endangered others. Obviously, if you were aware of traffic flow and your location, there wasn't much danger.
Sorry to hear you may be getting a ticket.
Hey there Bob, thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteI just screwed up. I knew better. If a ticket shows up in the mail, I'll decide then whether to pay it or fight it. I have been driving through that intersection almost every weekday for 40-years and have never seen an accident there. I have to believe that the cameras are there to make money for the village rather than to prevent accidents. Still, I knew better...
Greetings from Texas,
ReplyDeleteI too think these camera's are more about fleecing us than making us safe. The ticket I got maddest about was a little town in Texas which annexed a grain elevator half a mile from the town but on the highway. Great place for a cop to hide too! I was getting splattered by a cattle truck and was pulled over trying to pass it next to the grain elevator. I don't think they were playing fair but I just paid the silly thing and didn't kick up a fuss.
Yeah, Art, you are right; sometimes it is cheaper to pay the fine than to fight city hall.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably just pay; my lawyer charges more than the cost of the ticket. Chances of winning in court are slim...