How to Beat a Red Light Camera Ticket in California

Red light cameras are being placed in many major intersections in various cities throughout California. Although they may seem like they are there to catch drivers illegally passing through intersections, they at times are faulty or violate local regulations. There are many stipulations and rules that these red light cameras must follow in order to file a legal citation against the driver of the car. Here is a common problem that red light cameras face when issuing citations:

1. Photo enforcement tickets can add a point to your permanent driving record. Because of this fact, they MUST have a clear picture of YOUR face. A picture of your license plate is not nearly enough to establish that you were the one at fault. All it does is establish the fact that your car was the one that ran the red light but it could have been anyone driving your car. They must prove that you were the one driving the car. A bad or blurry face photo of the driver whose name is not on the ticket is a very common reason for dismissal of red light camera tickets.
   1. If you received a ticket without photos on it, all you got was a courtesy notice from the court or a notice from the police department. It is not an official ticket, but you still need to contact the issuing agency to resolve the citation.
2. If you did receive a ticket with a photo of you in it you can still take it to trial. In most courts, on the day of the trial, many judges will dismiss the citation at the request of the police due to poor picture quality. If the photo is somewhat blurry, you can plead not guilty, and come into trial and try to convince the judge to dismiss the case. In trial, many defendants of red light camera tickets have raised questionable doubt by showing the judge a picture of themselves in other photos and letting the judge compare the photos. Simply ask the judge, are you sure that is me? Or you could say "I request a dismissal because there isn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the person in question is actually me driving the vehicle".

This is the most common way of getting the dreaded red light camera ticket dismissed from court. Keep in mind that some judges will still convict you of the violation if they have any reason to believe that it is you and you are committing perjury, so don't lie. Simply just raise the question that there might be a possibility that the person in question might be someone else driving your car, because of course you are a kind hearted person and let other's drive your car for various reasons. Also remember that Ticket Busters, ticketbust.com, can assist you with all your red light camera tickets and help you get them dismissed.