If you are one of the many Texans who have felt frustration after receiving a camera-issued speeding ticket in the mail—you are not alone and it may be time to take a stand and speak to an experienced Houston traffic ticket lawyer. Recently, a Texas man appealed such a ticket, citing the 5th and 6th Amendments as well as long-standing law. The camera-issued speeding ticket in question occurred in Plano; after referring to a Plano law which requires all traffic violation appeals to be heard in court, the man suggested his fines should be dropped “out of respect for taxpayers and my desire that their hard-earned money not be wasted in such proceedings.” The man then noted that the 6th Amendment guarantees his right to face his accuser—not an easy task, when that accuser is a camera.
He further claimed that the 5th Amendment protected him from self-incrimination and, that since Plano officials have no way of proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, his charges should be dismissed. The Texan then requested all evidence related to his camera-issued speeding ticket including maintenance logs for the camera, and argued the yellow light was on for a mere three seconds before changing to red—an amount of time which simply does not meet the recommendations set forth by the Institute for Transportation Engineers. Finally, a complex mathematical formula used by ITE to evaluate safe yellow light flash times at various intersections and speed limits was presented to the court. Call a skilled Houston traffic ticket attorney who can make these arguments on your behalf—as well as any others pertinent to your case.
The city of Plano had over 50,000 camera-issued tickets at this time last year which had gone unpaid. An attempt at an amnesty program last November garnered few coming forward to take care of those unpaid tickets. Some cities work in conjunction with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to place holds on vehicle registration renewals until those fines are paid, but not all counties have the budget or manpower to report these unpaid fines. Most police departments which use red-light and camera-issued speeding tickets claim speeding and intersection crashes are down, however that assertion has been challenged across the nation. In fact, many believe that camera-issued tickets may actually increase the number of accidents—rear-end collisions in particular—and that at its core, the system is corrupt. A class-action lawsuit in New Jersey netted half a million drivers who had received camera-issued tickets a refund—albeit a fairly small one—due to poor timing of the yellow light.
The city of Houston is square in the middle of the debate; in 2010 Houston residents voted to ban camera-issued tickets, and the cameras were turned off in August 2011—then turned back on, despite the people’s vote, then turned off again. Wherever the issue currently stands, the City of Houston is still seeking to collect on all unpaid camera-issued tickets. If you have received such a ticket, it is imperative that you speak to a knowledgeable Houston traffic ticket attorney as soon as possible to avoid having the ticket end up on your driving record. Rather than simply paying the ticket—and dealing with the aftermath—speak to a Sullo & Sullo Houston traffic ticket lawyer who will thoroughly assess your specific situation, then offer you the best option.