PURPOSEThis was originally
written as a soapbox piece against unfair and unjustified traffic
citations. Over time, after much research into the matter the author
found that traffic tickets - especially for the most trivial of alleged
violations - are a very lucrative business:
- By posting speed limits at well below the 85th percentile, many
common motorists who safely drive at a speed they are comfortable with
and along the flow of traffic instantly become "violators."
- By placing red light cameras in areas with high traffic volume,
underposted speed limits, and corresponding yellow light times, the
cities have found themselves an invaluable source of revenue to fund
city projects in lieu of raising taxes.
- Despite claims of installing red light cameras for safety,
municipalities often (with the help of the vendor) place red light
cameras where revenue can be maximized and not necessarily at
intersections that truly need them.
- Many municipalities have found that "cracking down" on street racing
by profiling fixed up imports and citing them for just about every
"violation" they could think of under the sun has been financially
rewarding.
This article attempts to help motorists avoid and deal with unwarranted
traffic tickets where financial interests were placed ahead of safety.
The three main areas are speeding, red light cameras, and modifications
(for those caught up in the anti-street racing crackdowns).
Parking tickets (another grand scam) are not covered here. Since it is
just about impossible to fight them they will not be dealt with.
A. But don't tickets curb law breaking?The National
Motorist Association doesn't think so. They're the organization
responsible for helping eradicate the national 55 MPH speed limit. See what they think. It's a long read, but worth it.
The sad fact is that less than 1% of Californians actually bother to fight their tickets.
Why? The courts have little incentive to help the "violators" seek
justice. Intimidated by the scary legal words on court notices, or
simply ignorant of their rights, these people simply pay up or ask for
traffic school. If 1 in 5 fought their tickets, the corrupt traffic
court system would fall into shambles. There is no excuse as to why
anyone cannot fight their ticket.
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