Red Light Camera ticket in Los Angeles

What is the name of your state?
California

I was driving my husband's car and turned left while the light was yellow, suddenly the traffic slowed and it turned red when I was a little over half way through. What can I do?

[gryndor]

Originally Posted by agsc

What is the name of your state? California

I was driving my husband's car and turned left while the light was yellow, suddenly the traffic slowed and it turned red when I was a little over half way through. What can I do?

I don't know if this is LAW, but I've been told that if you aren't able to safely stop when the light turns yellow then you can go through.

If you entered the intersection when the light was already yellow, then you deserve your ticket.

Pay it.

I was precisely in that situation when it was just turning yellow and I could not stop, it was not already yellow.

[gryndor]

Originally Posted by agsc

I was precisely in that situation when it was just turning yellow and I could not stop, it was not already yellow.

Do you have a court date on your ticket? Go to it and tell the Judge that. S/he will decide. From what I understand, that's about all you can do.

Gryn

from what i was told

A cop can give a ticket if any part of your car is in the intersection on a red light.

Unless it's a malfunction of the traffic light where it turned from green to red =P

Not yet, the ticket has come on my husband's name since the car was registered in his name and he has to respond to it by next month

[James Young]

agsc writes:

I was driving my husband's car and turned left while the light was yellow, suddenly the traffic slowed and it turned red when I was a little over half way through. What can I do?

Go to [url]www.motorists.org[/url] and click on “issues.” You should also join and gain access to the “Member’s Only” parts of the site that tell you how to contest such a ticket. This is for NMA, National Motorists Association, the folks who got the hated and dangerous “55” rescinded. They also lobby for drivers.

Had your car already begun crossing the stop bar, the wide white bar across your lanes just outside the crosswalks, when the light turned yellow? Photo citations are supposed to be given only for cars “entering” the intersection after the light turns red, not yellow. Have the yellow times been shortened? Why did traffic suddenly slow? Were there pedestrians present and did they step out against the traffic, forcing the cars ahead of you to slow down? I’ve seen this at La Cienega and Beverly Blvd thousands of times (I used to work right there).

PM me and I’ll try to get some more stuff for you that I really don’t want to put on this site.

[gryndor]

Originally Posted by James Young

PM me and I’ll try to get some more stuff for you that I really don’t want to put on this site.

Because he's an idiot and has been thrashed many times for his "how it should be" instead of "how it is" answers.

If you want to stay within the law do what I said. Go to the court date, explain yourself and ignore this utopian society spewing fool.

For a good representation of this guy's attitude and law-avoiding philosophy, look at:

[url]http://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=194653[/url]

Gryn

[James Young]

gryndor writes:


PM me and I’ll try to get some more stuff for you that I really don’t want to put on this site.—James Young

Because he's an idiot and has been thrashed many times for his "how it should be" instead of "how it is" answers.

No, it’s because the material I have is copyrighted, proprietary and for members only. All they have done is call me names and threaten to ignore me; there has been not a single shred of evidence presented to counter what I have said. Most of them can't even read well enough to understand what I write, much less contradict it.

If you want to stay within the law do what I said. Go to the court date, explain yourself and ignore this utopian society spewing fool.

agsc, I urge you not to believe me or anybody else here. The responders are most frequently arrogant, condescending cops who do not have the interests of the driving public in mind. I urge you to do some more research and decide for yourself. Another good free source is [url]http://www.caranddriver.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=55036[/url]. Those are drivers on there. They’re on your side.

[CdwJava]

James,

You continue to claim that all these people that post against you are cops - they're not. As far as I know, only two regular posters other than myself are currently law enforcement officers. And neither of them has engaged you in any of the banter you counter with demeaning references such as: they are"condescending cops who do not have the interests of the driving public in mind"

That's a load of crapola.

Those of us that are cops have a very GREAT concern for the driving public! If we did NOR care, we would NOT be concerned with enforcing the rules of the road. After all, we're the ones who deal with the results of the bad drivers ... the crashes, the injuries, the death, and the mayhem.

Ever notify a family of the death of their son in car crash? I have. It sucks.

If ALL we were interested in was making money for the city, we would be driving golf carts and enforcing parking regulations and NOT moving violations. Parking enforcement can be a self-sustaining endeavor ... citing movers is not.

You don't seem to like it when you are subject to demeaning attacks - as referenced by your continued reference to Debating 101 comments such as "straw man" arguments, and "Signal 32" arguments (and I have no idea what an "S-32" argument is anyway). So when you lower yourself to similar assaults on people whose occupations and training you really do not know, you also diminish yourself.

*I* am a police officer. I believe I am the only one who has responded to you that has identified himself as such. Attributing the opinions of posters - whether police officers or not - in a demeaning manner just because you have some sort of skewed view of how we are or what our level of concern, education or involvement might be, is disingenuous.

- Carl

[AHA]

Originally Posted by CdwJava

James,

You continue to claim that all these people that post against you are cops - they're not. As far as I know, only two regular posters other than myself are currently law enforcement officers. And neither of them has engaged you in any of the banter you counter with demeaning references such as: they are"condescending cops who do not have the interests of the driving public in mind"

That's a load of crapola.

Those of us that are cops have a very GREAT concern for the driving public! If we did NOR care, we would NOT be concerned with enforcing the rules of the road. After all, we're the ones who deal with the results of the bad drivers ... the crashes, the injuries, the death, and the mayhem.

Ever notify a family of the death of their son in car crash? I have. It sucks.

If ALL we were interested in was making money for the city, we would be driving golf carts and enforcing parking regulations and NOT moving violations. Parking enforcement can be a self-sustaining endeavor ... citing movers is not.

You don't seem to like it when you are subject to demeaning attacks - as referenced by your continued reference to Debating 101 comments such as "straw man" arguments, and "Signal 32" arguments (and I have no idea what an "S-32" argument is anyway). So when you lower yourself to similar assaults on people whose occupations and training you really do not know, you also diminish yourself.

*I* am a police officer. I believe I am the only one who has responded to you that has identified himself as such. Attributing the opinions of posters - whether police officers or not - in a demeaning manner just because you have some sort of skewed view of how we are or what our level of concern, education or involvement might be, is disingenuous.

- Carl

Good post, Carl.

And James Young, let posters make their own opinion of the responses they get. To claim that you are right and EVERYONE ELSE is wrong, stupid, unable to read, uneducated, opinionated without facts isn't making you look very trustworthy is it? Let people make up their own minds, don't force your opinion on others and accept that you'll never have everyone on your side.
You are for high speeds, we know that. Many of us are not, live with it and find another place if you want to convert people to your "religion".

[Happy Trails]

Originally Posted by AHA

Good post, Carl.

And James Young, let posters make their own opinion of the responses they get. To claim that you are right and EVERYONE ELSE is wrong, stupid, unable to read, uneducated, opinionated without facts isn't making you look very trustworthy is it? Let people make up their own minds, don't force your opinion on others and accept that you'll never have everyone on your side.
You are for high speeds, we know that. Many of us are not, live with it and find another place if you want to convert people to your "religion".

Maybe Carl will get through to him this time.

James Young writes:
Most of them can't even read well enough to understand what I write.(unquote)

Hope he uses his own words to understand Carl's post. This is not the first time Carl has told him.

[AHA]

Originally Posted by Happy Trails

Maybe Carl will get through to him this time.

James Young writes:
Most of them can't even read well enough to understand what I write.(unquote)

Hope he uses his own words to understand Carl's post. This is not the first time Carl has told him.

Or maybe someone didn't qualify for grade school way back when and had to learn his own language That's why no one understand what he writes. Just a thought.

[racer72]

Originally Posted by agsc

I was precisely in that situation when it was just turning yellow and I could not stop, it was not already yellow.

It doesn't matter if the light is green, yellow, red, pink, or purple with silver spots, it is never legal to enter an intersection if you cannot safely clear the intersection before the light turns red. And as the operator of a motor vehicle, it is your obligation to insure the intersection can be cleared before entering the intersection. I see folks try to sqeeze through intersections daily during my commute. Pay the ticket.

[James Young]

CdwJava writes:

You continue to claim that all these people that post against you are cops - they're not.

Not all of them, certainly. However, when a poster references that he would/would not cite under particular conditions, I assume they represent themselves as cops. Further, the language used is the same as was used on other cop forums that I used to frequent. Even the cop humor is the same. In fact, it hasn’t changed much since I first noticed it when dealing with cops in the emergency room at a major trauma hospital forty years ago. What’s the difference between “oxygen thief” and “DNA thief” except forty years?

Those of us that are cops have a very GREAT concern for the driving public! If we did NOR care, we would NOT be concerned with enforcing the rules of the road. After all, we're the ones who deal with the results of the bad drivers ... the crashes, the injuries, the death, and the mayhem.

The problem is that the rules of the road are largely ignored except for a couple that just happen to generate over a hundred billion dollars a year for those agencies who decide what to enforce. When was the last time your or your buddies cited or even stopped somebody for impeding or for sleep deprivation?

The Texas DPS wrote 4 million traffic citations in 2000. Speeding cites outnumbered all the others combined by more than two to one. At $150 each that’s $400 million by one agency in one state. When that money stops I’ll be more inclined to believe the good intentions of the officers on the street. When their agencies quit using public funds to lobby for lower limits so that they can write more tickets “because they need the money,” (their words, not mine) I’ll believe even more strongly in their good intentions. Until then, money talks and BS walks.


If ALL we were interested in was making money for the city, we would be driving golf carts and enforcing parking regulations and NOT moving violations. Parking enforcement can be a self-sustaining endeavor ... citing movers is not.

Nonsense. Parking cites ARE money making endeavors for certain cities such as NYC, LA/Bev Hills/W. Hollywood, San Francisco, and Washington. DC. However, for the New Romes, Stringtowns, Selmas, and Waldos of the world, speeding is the industry. How else would a village of 450 people and no stop signs generate $300,000 from traffic fines?

You don't seem to like it when you are subject to demeaning attacks - as referenced by your continued reference to Debating 101 comments such as "straw man" arguments, and "Signal 32" arguments (and I have no idea what an "S-32" argument is anyway). So when you lower yourself to similar assaults on people whose occupations and training you really do not know, you also diminish yourself.

Pointing out that a poster has offered a Straw Man argument is a vlaid counter to an fallacious tactic. A Straw Man is an argument presented by A as though it were B’s position when, in fact, it is not. The reason it is presented is because it is easy to knock it down. I’ve had several Straw Man arguments offered and pointing them out is a valid tactic. Straw Man arguments are deliberate attempts to mislead but there have been other misstatements and misinterpretations of what I have written as well. “Signal-32” was one of the genre of films during the late 1940s and early 1950s that attempted to scare drivers into being good drivers by showing them mangled bodies, blood and horrible crashes. They imparted no skills and their effect was counterproductive because scared drivers are unsure driver and unsure drivers are unsafe drivers. It is not a type of argument but merely a poor tactic. My attacks are grounded in facts and a long history of examination of law enforcement. I’ll put them up to scrutiny at any time.

*I* am a police officer. I believe I am the only one who has responded to you that has identified himself as such. Attributing the opinions of posters - whether police officers or not - in a demeaning manner just because you have some sort of skewed view of how we are or what our level of concern, education or involvement might be, is disingenuous.

We have questioners coming here in good faith. How many of the responders have offered smart-ass, condescending, derogatory comments absent any facts and certain absent any help for those questioners? I read bad grammar and bad writing and saw invalid conclusions and a dearth of evidence to support anything. I just called it like I saw it and I’ll let the legitimate readers of these forums decide how comparatively useful those answers and my answers are.

Look, the cops have a sh!tty job; I understand that. They are held in utter contempt by much of the public and their job is changing underneath them. How many cops isolate themselves from ordinary folks, even their own families? The rates for divorce and suicide among cops is astronomical. I believe they deserve better but I also believe that a lot of it is self-inflicted. The only experience most folks have with the police is a traffic stop and because the traffic enforcement system is so biased, so broken, that the enforcement of a contemptible law leads directly to contempt for those who enforce it. People were stopped and cited for nearly twenty years for driving 65 mph in a 55 mph zone that used to be 70 mph or 80 mph or even just “R&P,” all on a highway designed for 100 mph in a 1950s era car. They public could see the sham but all the police could see was that $100 billion coming in and the expanded political power. No, you didn’t create it but you embraced it and now you’re paying the price.