The Most Trusted Traffic Ticket Attorneys in California. We Fight, You Relax™
If you have received a red light camera ticket in the mail, you may wonder if you can do anything to fight it. In California, it’s possible to contest a red light camera ticket, but since California’s camera tickets place the burden of proof on the driver or registered owner to prove their innocence, fighting a red light camera ticket can be a time-consuming and frustrating process if you try to do it on your own. Contact us today for more information and to see how a traffic ticket lawyer in California can help with your red light camera ticket by calling 323-435-6045.
Can I Fight My California Red Light Camera Ticket?
When we fight a California red light camera ticket for you, we request that your ticket be dismissed if you were issued a citation based on the following:
- You are the registered vehicle owner, but you were not driving at the time of the violation; or
- The registered owner of the vehicle is a business or corporation
If you wish to fight the ticket on other grounds, we can request a hearing with the court and make the appearance for you.
Occasionally, in cases regarding contested red light camera tickets, the officer who reviewed and signed off on the photograph or video of the red light ticket does not appear in court or does not bring the evidence necessary for a conviction. In cases that are not dismissed due to lack of evidence, we move forward to reduce fines and remove points.
Upload your ticket and a copy of your driver’s license for a free and confidential case review here
Can California Red Light Camera Tickets Be Ignored?
If you are the driver and the registered owner of a vehicle that received a red light camera ticket in California, you may choose to ignore the citation; however, once the court date passes, the court with jurisdiction over your red light camera ticket will enter a failure to appear (FTA) for the ticket.
Even though the court records show the ticket as a failure to appear, in most cases an FTA for a red-light camera ticket will not affect your current or future driver’s license status since failures to appear on red-light camera tickets are not reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV. Furthermore, a court will not issue a warrant for a red-light camera ticket.
Are Red Light Camera Tickets Legal in California?
A red-light camera or “automated traffic enforcement system” (ATES) is legal under California law, as long as the government agency that is using a red-light camera complies with the following:
- The red light camera must be identified by signs visible to approaching traffic that clearly indicates the camera’s presence within 200 feet of the intersection; and
- The signs must be visible to traffic approaching from all directions in which the red-light camera is being used to issue citations; and
- The duration of the yellow light change must meet or exceed the state minimum interval time before changing to a red light for the designated approach speed.
Furthermore, the California Supreme Court ruled in People v. Goldsmith, 59 Cal.4th 258 (Cal. 2014) that a photograph or video recording of a red light violation is considered a fair and accurate representation of the scene depicted. The court also ruled that since a machine cannot make a statement, evidence of running a red light is not considered hearsay. Until someone wins a case in a higher court overturning the California law on red light camera tickets, the red light traffic tickets generated by cameras in California will still be legal.
Can a Red Light Camera Ticket Affect My Driver’s License Renewal?
Red light camera tickets that are in failure to appear (FTA) status or have gone into collections cannot affect the renewal of your driver’s license because red light camera traffic tickets do not get reported to the California Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV until you are convicted.
Can a Red Light Camera Ticket Affect My Insurance?
A red light camera ticket that goes into failure to appear status typically does not affect your car insurance because (1) a guilty plea has not been entered, and (2) there has not been a court ruling or conviction. In other words, failing to appear on a red light camera ticket does not automatically become an admission of guilt, nor does a judge automatically find you guilty for not appearing on your traffic ticket.
Since there is no court record of a conviction (guilty or otherwise) your red light camera ticket does not have any points assigned to it and since it does not get reported to the California DMV, it does not get reported to insurance companies; thus, your car insurance should not be affected by a red light camera ticket that is solely in FTA or failure to appear status.
Can Red Light Camera Tickets Go to Collections?
A red light camera ticket that remains in failure to appear or FTA status will eventually go to collections. It can take months, or even years sometimes for a camera ticket to go to collections, and many times people forget they even received a ticket in the first place. A red light camera ticket in collections doesn’t get reported to credit bureaus because there hasn’t been a ruling on the charge of running a red light. In other words, since you haven’t been found guilty or entered a plea of guilty, no fines have been assessed and there is nothing to collect.
How Can an Attorney Help Fight Your California Red Light Camera Ticket?
For Over 20 Years We Have Been Saving Clients Thousands of Dollars, Points, and Hours of Court Time
Hiring the traffic lawyers at Fight My Ticket is a quick and easy way to fight your red-light camera ticket. For over two decades, we have successfully defended individuals and businesses against all types of traffic tickets in California.
We take the stress and inconvenience out of contesting your ticket. Our traffic lawyers are some of the best attorneys in California who fight your traffic ticket on your behalf to save you time, money, and your reputation for a clean driving record.
With an experienced traffic lawyer in your corner to fight your ticket, you can skip the frustration and relax
Fight My Ticket was founded by Attorney William Kroger in 1997. Together with his team of highly skilled traffic ticket lawyers, we have a 90% success rate in resolving traffic tickets in California. Our experience with California law enforcement agencies and traffic courts allow us to successfully negotiate for dismissals or driving point reductions for our clients.
We represent both in-state and out-of-state motorists cited with traffic violations all over the state of California. Contact us today at 323-435-6045 to see how we can help and find out if we’re the right traffic ticket law firm for you.
