Washington
Multiple States Introducing Consumer Protecting Legislation on Camera Enforcement Tickets Friday, June 17th, 2011
Concern about ticket cameras as revenue generators that has spurred protective action for consumers in a few states. California and Tennessee are two such examples. These are typical of the issues and battles we’re likely to see for years to come with the still relatively new use of photo enforcement throughout the county.
California
A bill has been introduced and is intended to help ensure that communities use red light cameras to improve safety, not to raise revenue. One vote away from moving to the Governor, the bill would regulate use of the ticket cameras by establishing statewide standards for installation and operation. Included in the bill is the requirement that communities show that the cameras are needed at a particular location for reasons related to safety as well as requirements that drivers are given better warning that cameras are in use.
Tennessee:
A new law also addresses concern about the photo enforcement red light cameras being used as revenue generators. The law requires studies showing the system is necessary from a safety standpoint and the law prevents the issuance of camera tickets for failing to come to a complete stop before turning right on red where a right on red is otherwise permitted.
South Carolina:
This legislation doesn’t refer necessarily to concerns about revenue generation, but a recently signed South Carolina law is a good example of the variety of the checks on photo enforcement starting to emerge. Here, Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill barring towns from mailing photo speeding tickets and requiring all summonses to be hand-delivered at the scene.
Washington:
It’s a court ruling, not a law. A Superior Court Judge has ruled that there is a problem with officers electronically attaching their signature to a camera summons. This type of ruling essentially puts a stop to camera enforcement altogether as the officer is obviously not present and writing red light tickets at a camera patrolled intersection.
Seattle traffic ticket fixes? Monday, November 29th, 2010
On consecutive days, charges were dropped against two well connected individuals in the Seattle area and conspiracy theorists are asking questions.
First came a hit-and-run charge against former Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis. He was charged with backing into a scooter that was parked downtown in May. Witnesses said he drove off after knocking the scooter onto its side. Ceis paid $413.75 to repair damage to the scooter, and the case was dismissed by the Seattle City Attorney
Next came 84 year old Bill Gates Sr. Back in mid-August, he backed his Mercedes into another vehicle. Gates claimed he was unaware he had backed his car into anything. When no witnesses came forth and Gates claimed to have paid the damages himself, the charges were dropped.
The obvious question is whether one in Seattle can simply leave the scene of an accident and pay for the damages later without any penalty beyond the cost of the damage itself. Some are now saying it’s true but only if you are wealthy and/or connected.
If you have any questions about a Seattle traffic ticket or other related matter in King County, please contact a Seattle traffic ticket attorney for a free consultation.
Washington State cell phone tickets may be invalid Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Thousands of cell phone traffic tickets may soon be dismissed in Washington State.
Certain police departments in certain areas of the state may not have had the authority to issue the tickets and charge individuals with this particular violation because the state forgot to update a rule book after the current stricter law passed.
Tickets written by state troopers apparently are not in question. The ones in question are those written by a handful of local police departments scattered around the state which rely The Model Traffic Ordinance, or MTO. The MTO is a document created by the Department of Licensing that most smaller and mid-sized cities adopt. It puts state laws into effect in the city and saves smaller cities the time and money required to write hundreds of traffic laws. It is supposed to be updated automatically when new traffic laws go into effect.
The state is still trying to sort out which police departments are affected.
Drivers who got a ticket after July 1 are out of luck because the state of Washington quickly updated it’s rule book.
If you have any questions about a cellphone ticket issued anywhere in Washington State, feel free to see if there is a local TicketHELP.com attorney in the area who can help.
