Red light cameras -you own the vehicle, not driving it, you get the ticket

[The Straight Story]

Council Bluffs Woman Says She Was Ticketed When She Wasn't Driving
Red-Light Cameras Capture SUV Running Light

POSTED: 10:55 pm EDT June 27, 2006
UPDATED: 10:56 pm EDT June 27, 2006

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- A woman who wasn't driving her vehicle wants to know why she was ticketed for running a red light in Council Bluffs.

Officials said that there is a glitch in the city's new red-light photo enforcement law. If a driver's name is on the vehicle title, he or she is liable when that vehicle runs the light.

The camera shows Margie Guy's dark-colored SUV running a red light, according to Council Bluffs City Attorney Richard Wade. Guy was ticketed, but she said she wasn't driving.

"Don't live there, don't work there, have no reason to be over there," Guy said.

Guy's husband works in Council Bluffs, and she can only assume he was driving the vehicle. She doesn't think it's fair that she was targeted without any evidence that she was driving.

"If she actually owns the vehicle, if she's one of the co-owners, she is financially responsible, and that's all we're talking about here is financial responsibility," Wade said.

http://www.local6.com/news/9436751/detail.html

[Swede]

1. Yeah,that's the ticket.

You own the car,you pay the fine. Works for me.

[VelmaD]

2. the problem is that it goes on your driving record...

whether you did it or not. That can make a difference in your insurance rates.

[MissB]

5. Exactly.

I can't see it actually standing up in court.

[Sammy Pepys]

7. Not around here it doesn't...

At least not to my knowledge.

You have to pay the fine, yes...but you don't get any points like you would've if a cop had stopped you.

[RebelOne]

10. No, it does not go against your driving record.

At least not here in Georgia. I got one of those tickets, so I can attest to that.

[Beelzebud]

8. Friendly Fascism! :)

[Swede]

13. Yeah,I hate the way the fascists jump red lights.

Killing people and stuff.

[Beelzebud]

16. Good thing the electric all seeing eye watches for Big Brother!

Keep me safe from EVERYTHING! :)

[sui generis]

3. privacy issues aside it's stupid on the part of all

He shouldn't have run a red light.

and

Red lights exist for public safety reasons.

Just hanging a camera up there and snapping pictures doesn't make the intersection any safer. It's law enforcement laziness, and it's absurd. Either you exist to enforce public safety (i.e., pull over the red light offender immediately) or you exist to find new and improved ways to collect revenue.

As Wade said - this isn't about public safety, it's about finance.

[Skink]

4. so who has to go to traffic school?

[Roon]

6. Just take it to trial...the biggest jury that is allowed

They'll drop it.

[joeunderdog]

15. UNENFORCIBLE if it is contested. Happened to me.

I got a ticket for a Violation on a car I owned that was driven by my ex-fiance before she got ownership (as in paid me for it) of the vehicle. I called the Police Chief and he told me to contest it--that the Moving Violation has to be issued to the Operator of the vehicle. The cops know it's not enforcible but they figure most people will just pay it.

I took a day off work, went to court to protest the ticket, repossessed my vehicle from that wench and told her she can drive it again when she pays me for it.

[yella_dawg]

9. Woo-Hoo!!!

Give me a rent-a-car!

[anarch]

11. how about if the car was stolen?

"If she actually owns the vehicle, if she's one of the co-owners, she is financially responsible, and that's all we're talking about here is financial responsibility," should still hold, right? Makes sense to me. :crazy:

[tabasco]

12. In Germany the cameras get your smiling mug right behind the wheel.

Got me a couple times where it drops down to 120 km/hr.

Don't we have the same tech here?

I like the idea of using cameras for this purpose. In MD we have FAR too many police officers just harassing citizens.

[MyNameGoesHere]

14. In Germany if the

face doesn't match the registered owner you could get out of the ticket. Some kids went joy riding with pig masks on and they couldn't do squat. Lol might be fun here.