Red Light Camera Rhode Island

[horizon2]

RHODE ISLAND

okay, Got a question here.

Tonight I set the camera off at the corner of the street that has a red light camera. I immediatly stopped and didn't proceed all the way through the intersection. I was probably about 2-3 feet into the intersection and I backed up.

My questions:
1.what do the pictures need to be of to issue a ticket?
2.what is "running a redlight" do you actually have to go through the intersection or just be sligtly in it?
3. If I am issued a citation, do I have any chance fighting it in court?

[The Occultist]

You may not enter the intersection if a light is red (for simplicity, let's ignore turning right, shall we? ). Even if you stop, and reverse to exit the intersection again, you have still illegally crossed into the intersection. A camera only needs to show that you were in the intersection. By the time you saw the flash of the camera, it was already too late.

On what grounds would you plan on fighting the citation? You illegally crossed into the intersection, and that's what you will probably be cited for.

[horizon2]

Originally Posted by The Occultist

You may not enter the intersection if a light is red (for simplicity, let's ignore turning right, shall we? ). Even if you stop, and reverse to exit the intersection again, you have still illegally crossed into the intersection. A camera only needs to show that you were in the intersection. By the time you saw the flash of the camera, it was already too late.

On what grounds would you plan on fighting the citation? You illegally crossed into the intersection, and that's what you will probably be cited for.

so its illegal to pass the line or illegal to go into the intersection? because I didn't technically enter the intersection, just passed the white line into the crosswalk and not past the corner.

[Maestro64]

The rule is the stop line or cross walk if those exist at the intersection. Once the light turns red, no part of your car may pass over the stop line after the change. If the camera is set up properly, and you are already over the line when the light turns red, and you are traveling normal speed it should allow you to clear the intersection before it snaps a picture.

This is the reason light need delays before it turns green in the other direction. Also, the reason the rules is this way is because of people getting caught in the intersection due to traffic or other things outside the control of the driver. You could very well be in the intersection when it was green, but because of a slow driver or traffic all of a sudden stopping you are now in the intersection when it turns red. This why the law say you may not cross into the intersection when it is turns reds. But some places have rules about not being in the intersection after it turns reds for grid lock reasons.

So that is the perfect world, and in the world of Red Light Camera's where many are set up simply to generate more revenue for the local government. Of those many are set up with outside companies who revenue share. Because of this some of these camera's do not follow the rules, they have fast yellows, no delays once the light turns red and so on.

If you search this forum you find a posting someone made about how to fight red light camera tickets.

Also, depending on how far into the intersection you were, the camera might not have seen the plate. It all depends on the how it was set up. Also, remember the camera did not see that you actually stop and backed up.

[GulfBreeze]

i was ticketed in Arizona around 4/2004 for running a red light. it was yellow when i approached the intersection and since it was at the time, a slight drizzle of rain, i didn't want to make a sudden stop. well, as i went thru the intersection, the light turned red. i was almost completely out of the intersection when this occurred. on the opposite side of the street was a police car. he came after me and issued me a ticket. i tried fighting it, saying that it wasn't red until i had almost completely exit the entire intersection...didn't matter. the law says that no portion of the car may be in the intersection when the light is red. that contradicted what i was told once in defensive driving school. they claimed that if you enter an intersection and the light changes, you may proceed thru..as long as you were already in the intersection at that time. the bottom line...i guess, is that there is usually a 3 second time from green-yellow-red and you should be slowing down, not speeding up to avoid the red. you triggered the camera so you ran a red light (doesn't matter that you stopped)...it was too late by then.

[Maestro64]

Here is PA's rule on Yellow and Red and these are base on the Federal requirements for the Uniform Traffic Control Requirements that all states are required to follow.

(2) Steady yellow indication.--
(i) Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal is thereby warned that
the related green indication is being terminated or that a red indication will be exhibited
immediately thereafter.
(ii) Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian-control signal as provided
in section 3113, pedestrians facing a steady yellow signal are thereby advised that there is
insufficient time to cross the roadway before a red indication is shown and no pedestrian shall
then start to cross the roadway.
(3) Steady red indication.--
(i) Vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal alone shall stop at a
clearly marked stop line, or if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the
intersection, or if none, then before entering the intersection and shall remain standing until an
indication to proceed is shown except as provided in subparagraph (ii).
(ii) Unless signing is in place prohibiting a turn, vehicular traffic facing
a steady red signal may enter the intersection to turn right, or to turn left from a one-way
highway onto a one-way highway after stopping as required by subparagraph (i). Such
vehicular traffic shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent
crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection.

As you see PA law does not say anything about no being allowed in the intersection after turning red.

Here is RI law, and theirs does not seem to follow the federal requirements

(2) Yellow alone or "caution" when shown following the green or "go" signal.

(i) Vehicular traffic facing the signal is warned by it that the red or "stop" signal will be exhibited immediately afterwards, and the vehicular traffic shall not enter or be crossing the intersection when the red or "stop" signal is exhibited.

Here is AZ and it is clear as mud, and it does not seem to say anything like the RI it is more like PA's. But rest ashore if are are found running a red light they now require you to go to traffic school

[url]http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/28/00645.htm&Title=28&DocType=ARS[/url]

[horizon2]

Originally Posted by Maestro64

Here is PA's rule on Yellow and Red and these are base on the Federal requirements for the Uniform Traffic Control Requirements that all states are required to follow.



As you see PA law does not say anything about no being allowed in the intersection after turning red.

Here is RI law, and theirs does not seem to follow the federal requirements



Here is AZ and it is clear as mud, and it does not seem to say anything like the RI it is more like PA's. But rest ashore if are are found running a red light they now require you to go to traffic school

[url]http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/28/00645.htm&Title=28&DocType=ARS[/url]

where did you get that rhode island law from? assuming I never actually entered the intersection, I should be ok, right? Thats the confusing part, is the intersection the crosswalk or the actual intersection.

on a side note, I went out this morning and did a bit of studying. It seems as if the camera only went off due to my speed and abrupt stop. I saw quite a few cars traveling slowly to the same point in the road that I went to, but the camera never went off for them. Maybe I'll have some sort of case because of that.

[Maestro64]

Here is the RI stuff

[url]http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE31/INDEX.HTM[/url]

That is all the rules

[url]http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE31/31-13/INDEX.HTM[/url]

This is about the traffic control devices

[url]http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE31/31-13/INDEX.HTM[/url]

That is for red lights

Are you sure that the camera is not speed camera.

Also, the way those camera are suppose to work is it sees you pass some point in time and if that point is some time before or after the light turns red it suppose to snap a picture since it assumes you ran the light.