New Video Explains Red Light Camera Violation Process

You get a red light camera ticket in the mail and it’s confusing. To pay or not to pay? Many times you are obligated to pay when there is irrefutable proof. Sometimes, though, you receive what is referred to as a ‘snitch ticket,’ which carries no obligation.

That’s where American Traffic Solutions, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, comes in. The company has released a video that covers “the careful review process every red-light running event captured by red-light safety cameras passes through before a violation is issued."

Now, this is handy when you want to feel better about paying your fine. The company claims “more than half of the events captured . . . are rejected during the review process.”

There are five red light camera locations in San Mateo:

1. EB Hillsdale Blvd to NB Saratoga Drive
2. SB Saratoga Drive to EB & WB Hillsdale Blvd
   
3. EB Hillsdale Blvd to S. Norfolk Street
   
4. WB Hillsdale Blvd to S. Norfolk Street
   
5. EB 4th Avenue to Humboldt Street
   

The city of San Mateo, which contracts with RedFlex Traffic Systems, also based in Scottsdale, throws out about 42 percent of its tickets, according to figures from highwayrobbery.net.

That means 58 percent of filmed violations could be subject to a snitch ticket, a cleverly designed document issued to mislead the registered owner.

ATS wants you to know how particular the industry is in making sure a red light violation has occurred before issuing a ticket. They have produced a video, the Violation Process Review.

The video examines the emphasis on detail and how tickets are rechecked and checked again by ATS employees and police to ensure that every event captured that results in a violation being issued, meets all of the issuing authority’s legal requirements.

This video becomes a companion piece to an earlier ATS video explaining how redlight safety cameras work.

This latest version covers the review process for more than 3,200 ATS’ red-light, speed and school bus stop-arm safety cameras currently operating in the U.S. and Canada. The issuing authority makes the final review and approves the violation for a ticket.

“Hopefully this video will help further explain the review process and clear up any misconceptions about how a captured event becomes an issued violation,” ATS  vice president of communications Charles Territo said. “As this video shows, the people at ATS and its nearly 300 customers across North American carefully review each event. Red-light, speed, and school bus stop arm safety cameras have proven to be an effective tool for law enforcement to deploy to help change driver behavior.”

The City of San Mateo introduced the Red Light Photo Enforcement program in 2005 as an avenue to target the intersections with the highest accident rates.

Three cameras are in operation in San Mateo, none were identified in Foster City. They are located at the following intersections:

Eastbound Hillsdale Blvd to Northbound Saratoga Drive
Southbound Saratoga Drive to Eastbound and Westbound Hillsdale Blvd 
Eastbound Hillsdale Blvd to S. Norfolk Street
Westbound Hillsdale Blvd to S. Norfolk Street
Eastbound 4th Avenue to Humboldt Street

San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer writes on the county’s website: “The Red Light Photo Enforcement program allows the city to provide a higher level of enforcement at our problematic intersections without additional costs.”

Red-light running is the leading cause of urban crashes, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, injuring more people than any other crash type.

In a survey performed by Old Dominion University, 55.8 percent of Americans admit to running red lights, and, astoundingly, 96 percent of drivers were afraid of being hit by a red light runner.

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