I Got Banned - thank you for all your thoughtful responses.
Based on digesting all you have indicated, it appears my only true defense then, is to validate what the posted speed limit was on the ticket issue date versus the speed shown on the informational ticket background which exists on line, along with related yellow times. All the other items are just fluff then?
Planes flying need to be 100% operational, 100% of the time. 99% of the time means 1 plane in a hundred crashes. The same holds true here. Why should I be held accountable for operational inaccuracies? How can it be proven the machine was correct at the precise specific moment in time the photo was taken?
Aside from this ticket, I am very passionate about this subject because many years ago, I was taking my son to daycare and was stopped at an intersection. He was in his car seat on the front passenger seat.
My light turned green but I always look both ways before entering an intersection - thank God I did. To my right (passenger side), an elderly gentlemen was driving an older Buick or Chevy and went right through the red light at about 30 mph. Had I not looked before entering, my son would surely have been killed, and probably me in my small Honda Civic. Not looking for sympathy but the fact is a red light camera would not have prevented this from occurring. If all the lights were red at the same time for one second longer, would present a higher degree of preventing accidents than silently recording one committed, and profiting off of the incident.
Red light camera's are nothing more then profit centers, the accuracy of which is questionable, based on who is manipulating what statistic. Extending the yellow and red lights by a second or two seconds seems simple and logical to me, to enhance intersection safety. Unless of course the prime motivator is not safety but revenue generation.
It may sound like a rant, ok, but the nexus of the matter is these camera lights are silent observers and do nothing but record during the fact, reactive versus proactive.
Thank you once again for your time and responses.
Based on digesting all you have indicated, it appears my only true defense then, is to validate what the posted speed limit was on the ticket issue date versus the speed shown on the informational ticket background which exists on line, along with related yellow times. All the other items are just fluff then?
Since people are being singled out mostly by the accuracy of a machine, and to fight such a ticket is an absolute time gobbling uphill struggle of a nightmare, a degree of reasonableness should exist to ensure the equipment is operating correctly. What is reasonable then is not for me to say but I would think at least every few days minimum. This equipment is very sophisticated, affected by weather, seismic activity, idiots pounding on the storage unit, etc. It needs to be 100% accurate, 100% of the time, not 99%accurate.
Planes flying need to be 100% operational, 100% of the time. 99% of the time means 1 plane in a hundred crashes. The same holds true here. Why should I be held accountable for operational inaccuracies? How can it be proven the machine was correct at the precise specific moment in time the photo was taken?
Ignorance of the law is not an excuse, but I need to know what I do not know, which is where exactly do I stop the car in this particular busway intersection? There is a human reaction time element here. The various items mentioned previously impact that reaction time. 3.9 versus 3.6 seconds makes a difference. So would 4.9 or 5.9 seconds for that matter. If an officer was there instead of a machine, I could explain these things because they are all reasonable and influence the outcome.
Not sure I understand your comment "passenger is way off" - sounds slightly biased. If the video shows my crossing the limit line before it is a steady red light, I repeat steady red light, then this is in my favor yes? If the flash went off during the change from yellow to slightly red to fully red, then this is also in my favor yes? Would this not be corroborated by input from my witness? I mean I am innocent until proven guilty yes of running a steady red light?
You did not answer my question but what improves my odds - standing before a judge or Pro Tem and why or why not? Again, thank you for your candor and time.
No matter what you do, people will always run the light. About the only real thing is to slow down and scan the intersection in as safe a manner as possible before entering. Increasing yellows and all red lights can only help not hurt - yes?
Aside from this ticket, I am very passionate about this subject because many years ago, I was taking my son to daycare and was stopped at an intersection. He was in his car seat on the front passenger seat.
My light turned green but I always look both ways before entering an intersection - thank God I did. To my right (passenger side), an elderly gentlemen was driving an older Buick or Chevy and went right through the red light at about 30 mph. Had I not looked before entering, my son would surely have been killed, and probably me in my small Honda Civic. Not looking for sympathy but the fact is a red light camera would not have prevented this from occurring. If all the lights were red at the same time for one second longer, would present a higher degree of preventing accidents than silently recording one committed, and profiting off of the incident.
Red light camera's are nothing more then profit centers, the accuracy of which is questionable, based on who is manipulating what statistic. Extending the yellow and red lights by a second or two seconds seems simple and logical to me, to enhance intersection safety. Unless of course the prime motivator is not safety but revenue generation.
It may sound like a rant, ok, but the nexus of the matter is these camera lights are silent observers and do nothing but record during the fact, reactive versus proactive.
Thank you once again for your time and responses.