AZ / Arizona Photo Radar - Get Out Of That Ticket!

[MJ DeMarco]

First the disclaimer. I am not a lawyer and this is not to be
construed as professional advice. I am a citizen of the USA and
a resident of Arizona who is staunchly opposed to "big brother" photo cameras and video recording on public highways.

I am opposed to funding the state government coffers with this "program".

For anyone who has been victimized with one of these gifts of government, here is how to get out of the ticket and exercise your rights under the law:

First, don't speed. Not getting a speeding ticket is the best defense. However, on an empty road the Arizona Statutes regarding speed are clear -- photo radar ignores what the law says. So if you get one of these tickets in the mail .... try the following:

1) Don't pay it. Convince yourself that you never saw the ticket -- yes, it was mailed to some address in the Cayman Islands.

2) After 30 days, tell everyone in your family "DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR WHEN THE DOORBELL RINGS". This is the process server. The PS needs to give you the service IN PERSON -- he cannot leave it on the door.

3) The PS will try to get you at the address on your license (OR) the registration for the car. At both locations, you cannot be answering doorbells!

4) Avoid doorbells and strangers for 90 days.

5) After the 90, ticket will be dismissed. You can check most circuit court dockets online to see the dismissal.

6) You win, the government bureaucracy LOSES.

I've had two of these and had both dismissed. In one case, the process server tried to serve my mother instead of me (my license addy was never updated) ... My mother told the server that I lived in Laguna Beach for the summers and wouldn't be around until September. HA HA! Despite that, they tried to serve her in lieu of me and failed -- a complaint was filed with the court citing illegal service.

 

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[hakrjak]

Man that seems unconstitutional... How can they issue a ticket when they can't even tell who was driving the car?

- Hakrjak

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The photo on the ticket usually discerns who was driving.

 

[SteveO]

Well, as a person that spends a lot of time running on roads, I get tired of crazy drivers. I have an extreme pet peeve against red light runners and wish that there were much more serious consequences for those willing to hurt someone for the sake of saving a couple minutes.

I had a friend that was killed by a red light runner. I almost ran right into the path of a cement truck that ran a red light. A passenger screamed at me and I slammed my brakes on in time to avoid a collision.

The big brother approach is the only viable option to slowing this down. There are not enough police to cover the situation.

Geez, I'm turning into an old fogie...

 

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[bflbob]

I read something about a similar setup recently -- going through red lights.

The camera triggers if a light is red and you are in the intersection.

They send the registrant of the vehicle a ticket.

The concept was that it would increase income AND make driving safer.

What they found was that neither came true.

Drivers locked up their breaks at the camera lights, causing an increase in rear-end accidents.

On top of that, since more people did stop going through the lights, the income never increased.

 

[SteveO]

Just to ensure that my hypocricy is recognized, I did get flashed for speeding about 3 years ago. I didn't like it but I paid my dues.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

With respect to the 2 tickets I received .... a police officer would have NOT cited me for any violation had he been patrolling the same area as the photo radar.

Nope, I wouldn't have been cited for anything, however, the beauty of photo radar is that it ignores the law much to government's liking -- so I get two tickets.

Conversely, had I broke the law and been speeding beyond prudent, I would have paid the ticket. But on both cases, It wasn't about breaking laws, it was about a machine making money for the state and generating tickets for those wouldn't normally receive one, even if the location was being patrolled.

My behavior when observed by photo radar? Ticket.
My behavior when observed by a live police officer? No ticket.

That is my bone.

If you've been falsely victimized by the state's money making machine, this thread is how you get out of it. If you've broken the law and have been speeding beyond prudent, endangering other drivers, pay the fine.

 

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[SteveO]

Yep, we are talking apples and oranges here. My gripe is the red light running where I am in full support of the cameras.

 

[rcardin]

Around here it seems that everywhere they put up a red light camera they also shortened the time on the yellow light. I have seen some really quick yellows

 

[Bilgefisher]

Pinal bounces photo radar out of county

There are many protest groups out there against photo radar. Not because it tickets speeders, but because the gov't and private companies are really making some money with them. The Pinal county sheriff removed them from his area because he felt law enforcement for profit was unconstitutional.

We have had both systems in Fort Collins since 96. I find them disturbing because both speed cameras are around the college most of the time. I lived 1/4 mile from CSU and dealt with them quite frequently. In Fort Collins the first year with two mobile vans and 1 red light camera 200,000 tickets were issued. The town population at the time was 90,000.

Initially it was ruled that a in person summons must be given. So the local police charged an additional $30 if you choose to receive an in person citation. Also local citizens began putting signs in front of the cameras to warn drivers. It slowed the drivers better then the camera. (You usually only see the camera after the flash goes off) Those citizens were issued citations on obstruction of justice.

Here in Colorado the red light camera really get my goat. When it snows, the timing of the lights do not change, it is safer for a driver to run a yellow to red light then to try and stop by slamming on the breaks. Most the time you won't get stopped till after the intersection anyway. I sat at a restaurant near the corner and watched dozens of folks get the flash even though they were actually being safer.

Once your local area gets a taste for the revenue generator like this, it is very difficult to get rid of it.

 

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[Redshft]

The photo on the ticket usually discerns who was driving.

 

[Redshft]

My behavior when observed by photo radar? Ticket.
My behavior when observed by a live police officer? No ticket.

That is my bone.

Precisely. I'm sure the same goes for other areas, but Charlotte area officials try to make it seem better by claiming "it doesn't count as points on your license, ONLY a $50 fine." It's bull, just a legal scam.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Slight thread hijack here ....

This thread is somewhat of an experiment, and perhaps a lesson, in SEO ...

This topic is searched a lot on the engines ... I'm seeing if this thread, after indexing, will rank highly for the search topic. If it does, it should result in free, organic traffic for fastlane. Not necessarily highly targeted -- however I can deduce that the mass populace is interested in creating more income.

We shall see in a few days ...

:smxB:

Arizona Photo Radar Laws

 

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[AroundTheWorld]

Conversely, had I broke the law and been speeding beyond prudent, I would have paid the ticket.

I love Montana.

1) We don't have any of these cameras in my town. No need. Heck. We hardly even have any lights.

2) Our speed limit used to be "reasonable and prudent" - no kidding.
However, the Feds threatened to take away our highway dollars if we didn't get a real speed limit, so we had to change it.

3) But that is okay, because we still get a freebee 9 over.

Not that I'm into careless driving - - but it is one less hassle we have to deal with.

 

[hakrjak]

I love Montana.
2) Our speed limit used to be "reasonable and prudent" - no kidding.
However, the Feds threatened to take away our highway dollars if we didn't get a real speed limit, so we had to change it.

That's because you have to drive 200 miles to Walmart haha

- Hakrjak

 

[RadarHunter]

Hey, I was viewing some of the comments posted above and thought this website might be quite informing for you guys... it has all the photo radar van, speed trap, and red light cameras in most states.

Hopefully you guys like it!

www . radarhunter . com

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Slight thread hijack here ....

This thread is somewhat of an experiment, and perhaps a lesson, in SEO ...

This topic is searched a lot on the engines ... I'm seeing if this thread, after indexing, will rank highly for the search topic. If it does, it should result in free, organic traffic for fastlane. Not necessarily highly targeted -- however I can deduce that the mass populace is interested in creating more income.

We shall see in a few days ...

:smxB:


Guess it worked!! Now ranking highly for those keywords ... #8 for "arizona photo radar defense".

 

[RadarHunter]

Several counties have spent billions installing these camera devices, but why?
Revenue.
Several studies show that these cameras not only increase accidents but don't reduce the number speeders / red light runners. There are several different ways to reduce these violations that don't include a set of 15 million dollar cameras... They aren't even real tickets... you don't have to pay them and they are dropped after 120 days of violation... Several schools around the U.S. are struggling to get by, dropping programs, losing credibility, and we are spending money on these ridiculous cameras.

Radar Hunter
radarhunter.com

 

[Bilgefisher]

Several counties have spent billions installing these camera devices, but why?
Revenue.
Several studies show that these cameras not only increase accidents but don't reduce the number speeders / red light runners. There are several different ways to reduce these violations that don't include a set of 15 million dollar cameras... They aren't even real tickets... you don't have to pay them and they are dropped after 120 days of violation... Several schools around the U.S. are struggling to get by, dropping programs, losing credibility, and we are spending money on these ridiculous cameras.

Radar Hunter
radarhunter.com

It appears to have worked slightly MJ. Even though it drew a spam post with a nicely hidden website.

Curious if you have any numbers.

 

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[australianinvestor]

Man, the USA is easy on its citizens... If you get a fine in my state, it is owed forever, including interest, indexed for inflation. If you don't pay it, the state can issue an arrest warrant for you (only reserved for bad cases, but it still has the power).

Getting a ticket here is an on-the-spot fine by the police (including cameras), with the dollar value and payment instructions on it. It only goes to court if it is disputed.

 

[RadarHunter]

What kind of numbers are you looking for?

 

[Bilgefisher]

MJ was doing a slight experiment on traffic, just wanted to see what numbers came across.

 

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[hatterasguy]

The camra's really bother me, and luckly they havn't installed them in my area yet. The government has not right to moniter it citizens in such a manner, and besides they shorten yellows when they install the camra's to generate more revenue. When/if they do install them around here I'll put a 7.62 round through the first one I see.

 

[RadarHunter]

Well I can tell you from setting up several gps packs and mapping coordinates of all these cameras that they put them in awkward intersections and shorten the timers to generate more revenue.. then it bites them in the a$$ when it comes to numbers... they figure in millions of dollars for revenue and when people don't pay them they spend more than they make...

Radar Hunter
radarhunter.com

 

[snowbank]

First the disclaimer. I am not a lawyer and this is not to be construed as professional advice. I am a citizen of the USA and a resident of Maricopa County AZ who is staunchly opposed to "big brother" photo cameras and video recording on public highways.

I am opposed to funding the state government coffers with this "program".

For anyone who has been victimized with one of these gifts of government, here is how to get out of the ticket and exercise your rights under the law:

First, don't speed. Not getting a speeding ticket is the best defense. However, on an empty road the Arizona Statutes regarding speed are clear -- photo radar ignores what the law says. So if you get one of these tickets in the mail .... try the following:

1) Don't pay it. Convince yourself that you never saw the ticket -- yes, it was mailed to some address in the Cayman Islands.

2) After 30 days, tell everyone in your family "DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR WHEN THE DOORBELL RINGS". This is the process server. The PS needs to give you the service IN PERSON -- he cannot leave it on the door.

3) The PS will try to get you at the address on your license (OR) the registration for the car. At both locations, you cannot be answering doorbells!

4) Avoid doorbells and strangers for 90 days.

5) After the 90, ticket will be dismissed. You can check most circuit court dockets online to see the dismissal.

6) You win, the government bureaucracy LOSES.

I've had two of these and had both dismissed. In one case, the process server tried to serve my mother instead of me (my license addy was never updated) ... My mother told the server that I lived in Laguna Beach for the summers and wouldn't be around until September. HA HA! Despite that, they tried to serve her in lieu of me and failed -- I filed a complaint with the court citing illegal service.

If you get a ticket and your address is out of Arizona are they going to serve you?
They would really just dismiss it if you don't pay it? Is this just for the automated tickets(cameras)? Don't they usually take you to jail for outstanding tickets?

I got one from the cameras and it says the fine goes up if it isn't paid by a certain date.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

You have to be officially served. A ticket in the mail does not suffice. If you're out of state, I doubt they'll hire an out-of-state process server since the state contracts with local ones.

If you ignore a ticket that a cop gave you on the street, you're officially served and if you ignore it, yes, you'll probably go to jail.

And yes, if you aren't served and the ticket is not acknowledged, it is dismissed. How can you defend something you weren't privy too?

THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE ... TENDER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

[Sparlin]

I have plenty to say about speeding tickets, but I wanted to address a red light issue. I've noticed that very few people watch their rear view mirrors when sitting at a traffic light. They have a false sense of security and are often preoccupied by traffic passing in front of them.

I've seen fatality accidents, one wiping out 5 people, because the driver failed to look in his mirror in time to see a semi bearing down on him. If he would have just moved his van over a few feet to the right, the incident would have been much less severe. My point? Check your rear view mirrors while sitting at lights, especially those on U.S. highways or express ways.

For the record, I don't support photo enforcement. Apart from it being another intrusion on American freedoms, I've known people from England who live under the scrutiny of thousands of such monitoring cameras. Their whole demeanor, even here in the States, is that of paranoia and submission. Don’t get me wrong, very nice people, but I would not want to live like that.

 

[RealOG]

Honestly, let's call it what it is... city revenue. The other option is to increase taxes to cover the gaps. I am less of a proponent of that, since the speeding camera tickets are under your control.

To that point, the wifey and I have received 5 camera tickets total and have not paid one. Granted we are not home until 8pm every night, so we probably miss the servers.

:fastlane:

 

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[biophase]

Someone I know just got served today. :smug2: Now the big question is that the violation date was in April and it is September, well past the 120 day rule. So was this a legit serving?

I'm guessing no and that the servers know this but are like what the heck, they might pay because I served them.

 

[biophase]

BTW, not sure why everyone is citing 120 days. Seems more like 150 days now. These were revised but I couldn't find the revision date.

Format Document

28-1592. Commencement of action
A. A civil traffic violation case is commenced by issuance or filing of a uniform traffic complaint as provided in this article.
B. A civil traffic violation case shall be commenced as follows:
1. If a case is commenced by issuance, it shall be issued within sixty days of the alleged violation.
2. If the case is commenced by filing, it shall be filed within sixty days of the alleged violation and shall be served within ninety days from the filing date.
3. Except as provided in paragraph 4, within one hundred eighty days of the alleged violation if the alleged violation is under investigation in conjunction with a traffic accident.
4. Within one year of the alleged violation if the alleged violation is under investigation in conjunction with a traffic accident resulting in death.