Legal Advice Needed - Littleton Photo Enforcement

[wreave]

It's my understanding that they are not enforceable without personal service. I was never concerned about the penalty related fines if I ignored those stupid traffic cameras. I've always worried about them sending the unpaid ticket to collections and screwing up my credit. You'll have many people say that they can't legally send an unpaid ticket to collections but if/when they do, now what? 2 months of letters and headaches to maybe get it resolved?

When you responded, you admitted accepting the notice. So they don't have to personally serve you. You shouldn't have acknowledged receiving the notice.

[Katastrophic]

Then you are traveling too fast for the conditions which is another violation in itself.

I agree with this comment as a law abiding driver but I do have one question - what would you do if you were in a car that's not that great in the snow so you drive more slowly then, say, the guy in the 4WD SUV thinks is appropriate so he's riding your ass? (This happened to me in a surprise snow storm a couple of months ago and I had to risk the red light or what I felt would surely be an accident)

[Teufelhund]

I agree with this comment as a law abiding driver but I do have one question - what would you do if you were in a car that's not that great in the snow so you drive more slowly then, say, the guy in the 4WD SUV thinks is appropriate so he's riding your ass? (This happened to me in a surprise snow storm a couple of months ago and I had to risk the red light or what I felt would surely be an accident)

Don't let the guy behind you bother you. Move over into the right lane so he can pass. If he hits you, it's 100% his fault in the eyes of the police and insurance company. You will suffer more vehicle damage and injury from getting hit from the side if you run through the red.

When people get right up on my butt, especially if they're yelling and flipping out, I take my foot off the gas until they go around.

[keylay31]

The other way to think about this specific situation is your wife actually did run the red light and therefore she should pay the fine.

Then you are traveling too fast for the conditions which is another violation in itself.

Newracer is correct; if the road conditions are poor, you're supposed to slow down appropriately. If the light has been green for a while (a stale green), you're supposed to take your foot off the gas and anticipate the light change. They teach all of this in driver's ed. There's no excuse for running red lights IMO.

If he hits you, it's 100% his fault in the eyes of the police and insurance company.

Wow, some high and mighty people here on this forum. Feel free to sit in your chair at home and play perfect... There are absolutely weather conditions and car timing where going through a red light is acceptable and is the safer choice. I've got video evidence of it with this ticket. But you're probably the type of drivers who see it go from green to yellow and slam on the brakes, causing an accident for the person behind you. But of course it's not your fault in the eyes of the police or the insurance... people will be calling you asshole behind your back.

Now, considering I'm the one on the ticket, I didn't commit the crime, and I consider those red light cameras ILLEGAL (they threaten you without any legal footing), I'm not willing to pay the fine. And I damn sure am not going to "turn in" my wife.

I came to this forum asking for advice, not your judgement. Go somewhere else.

[Stevensje]

I feel traffic cameras are BS. I'll pay the fine if a real person hands me the ticket. If not, piss off! We are human, we all speed and run yellow/Red lights on occasion. It's about bringing in revenue for the city. Another fucking tax IMHO. Before you know it drones will be giving you speeding tickets. Fucking Assholes!

[spleify]

Photo enforcement ticks most folks off. The one example I always use is; what if I am sitting in an intersection waiting to turn left and there is an old lady with a cane slowly but carefully crossing the street and the light changes? What am I supposed to do in this situation? If there were a live officer sitting there and saw I was late in catching the light because I was waiting for the old lady to cross, he/she would likely look at you and nod his/her head in approval and would move on.

I have heard a number of folks say that its not enforced if not hand delivered or whatever, can anyone provide some factual information to back that up?

[Dingo]

Drones.... I could totally see that in the near future.

[Irving]

I hate (purposeful) red light runners and red light cameras equally. I think there should be a .25 second delay before a red light camera can start taking pictures, and each vehicle after the first one triples the fine amount.

[Stevensje]

I have heard a number of folks say that its not enforced if not hand delivered or whatever, can anyone provide some factual information to back that up?[/QUOTE]

I have received about a half a dozen first and second reminders from Speer and 6th over the past few years. Usually getting stopped by traffic...Oopssss. Nothing yet... If I get one from the city I live in I pay it.

[Danimal]

Wow, some high and mighty people here on this forum. Feel free to sit in your chair at home and play perfect... There are absolutely weather conditions and car timing where going through a red light is acceptable and is the safer choice. I've got video evidence of it with this ticket. But you're probably the type of drivers who see it go from green to yellow and slam on the brakes, causing an accident for the person behind you. But of course it's not your fault in the eyes of the police or the insurance... people will be calling you asshole behind your back.

Now, considering I'm the one on the ticket, I didn't commit the crime, and I consider those red light cameras ILLEGAL (they threaten you without any legal footing), I'm not willing to pay the fine. And I damn sure am not going to "turn in" my wife.

I came to this forum asking for advice, not your judgement. Go somewhere else.

While I agree the tickets are bullshit, the law is pretty clear about running a red light and it has to be that way. The only way that they are enforceable at all is if they make an absolute statement that traveling through a red light is illegal period. Otherwise there is always an excuse that you could say "my brakes were bad, or my visor blocked the light and I could not see it"... so they had to make the action illegal regardless of circumstance and that requires the statement that if you ran it, you were either doing so on purpose, or you were out of control which is also illegal. You are in a lose lose situation here because though you are in the right, they will just make your life miserable if you require them to prove you guilty. They will send one to your wife, and the will send the bill to collections if you do not pay it. Or if you chose to defend yourself, they will eventually drop it but you have to decide what your time is worth. Innocent until proven guilty never sounds bad until you have to sit through the bullshit that they put you through just to get a ticket dropped.

Good luck and next time make sure the snow falling happens to obscure your license plate in the shape of a middle finger.