As many driver’s throughout Tampa, Florida now know, “Big Brother” is watching as you drive down the road headed towards the red light at the upcoming intersection. As part of an initiative to crack down on red light runners, Hillsborough County employed American Traffic Solutions out of Phoenix, Arizona to install cameras at what the County deemed to be problematic interesections throughout Hillsborough County.
The cameras were installed in Port Richey as well as Temple Terrace and sit atop a 20 foot high pole and are able to record five images in 1.5 seconds. An image is captured of the license plate of the car and transmitted to the Sheriff’s office to determine whether a traffic citation should be issued.
“In theory, the idea of a camera capturing violators would seem to work,” says Stephen Higgins, a traffic lawyer in Tampa, Florida, “but the problem is the manner in which the cases are dealt with by the system.” “The main issue for people who receive citations is the points – typically points on a person’s driving record causes their insurance rates to increase. However, red light tickets issued by camera’s do not apply points to a person’s driving record,” Higgins explained. “In other words, the tickets are designed to be a money maker for the county as well as the company employed to install the cameras. “Think about it -you get a ticket for running a red light and then recieve a citation in the mail. Why would you fight the ticket if you aren’t going to get any points? So, instead, you pay the fine amount of $126.00 and think the ticket is taken care of, not realizing that it will still appear on your driving record.”
The problems don’t stop there. “If a violator decided to challenge the citation, he or she must send the ticket back to Amercan Traffic Solutions opting to challenge the citation and wait to receive notice of where to appear for a hearing and told that if they lose the hearing, they will pay additional fees. The entire process is designed to be complicated so people simply pay the citation. Its patently unfair.”
Contrary to the stated purpose of the cameras, in one study performed by the University of South Florida, red light cameras were actually found to cause more accidents. The study found that persons who approach an intersection having a red light camera slam their brakes when the light turns yellow causing a rear end collision.
Recently, CNN reported on the use of red light camera’s throughout the United States and properly referred to them as “cash machines.”
If you have received a citation anywhere in the state of Florida, please refer to our website, www.fightyourtickets.com and contact any one of our lawyers.