Arizona speeding camera

[tjohnson104]

so I just took a trip to arizona from new mexico, and i just got a letter in the mail for a ticket from a speeding camera out in phoenix. was going 9 miles over the limit on a highway and i guess a camera got me...? and they want $210 for it... whats your opinion on what to do..

[IceFyre13th]

I thought all the freeway cameras were removed, in city ones are still up......but the actual freeway ones should of been gone by now

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...d-cameras.html

[Gary in NJ]

Originally Posted by tjohnson104

whats your opinion on what to do..

9 mph over...oh the horror. Just think of the children.

You must pay this ticket. The government wants your money. You didn't earn it, you don't own it and don't know how to manage it. Only the government knows how to properly redistribute the money.

Seriously though, there's nothing you can do. That's the entire point of the camera. You can't face your accuser. The government wins every time.

[SkullWorks]

LIES


I got many an AZ speeding ticket...if it doesn't come in a certified letter that YOU signed for throw it away, it is not enforceable as being served. Their only option is to "serve" you with the ticket. They will not send a sheriff to your house to do this you are A-OK

Some members of the government in PHX actually took out ads informing people about this fact when they were trying to get the cameras removed.

[FR-Shadow]

So i have only lived in AZ a couple months but that is one of the first things i asked the locals about.

The freeway cameras you do not have to pay as they have to give it to you in person. So dont be suprised if they come knocking at your door to serve you the papers.

But Ill let others chime in.

[Sivtec]

Originally Posted by SkullWorks

LIES


I got many an AZ speeding ticket...if it doesn't come in a certified letter that YOU signed for throw it away, it is not enforceable as being served. Their only option is to "serve" you with the ticket. They will not send a sheriff to your house to do this you are A-OK

Some members of the government in PHX actually took out ads informing people about this fact when they were trying to get the cameras removed.

This is correct. If you recieve it in the mail it is not considered as "serving" you. You HAVE to be served. Since you got this in a different state I doubt they will come to your door so you probably are fine. If you were in AZ however it's high chance that they will come to your door.

[SpyderMS]

I can vouch for this as well. If they don't serve you, ignore it. I also wouldn't visit the website that the pictures/video is hosted on, because they might try and use that against you as confirmation that you received it. I would definitely throw it away.

It's interesting to me that the camera caught you going 9mph over. I was under the understanding that they were all set for 11mph over.

[tjohnson104]

everybody is right, it was 11 over.. i just rushed doing simple math but i am from new mexico, so only 1 state over. after looking up several different websites, my entrapment is a very common spot. i guess it is called Star Valley? right on highway 260 i believe..? and I find it interesting on the ticket it does not state the price. its in very small print on the back of a separate paper inside with everything else. and the model of my car is not listed... just says 2013 Subaru... i just talked to my uncle and showed it to him, he thinks its a criminal ticket, not a civil ticket, therefore if I don't pay it then Arizona will suspend my license, and then therefore New Mexico will follow it because they are reciprocal. All i can find online is that some people say ignore it and they MIGHT send a person to serve you... and if that happens then pay the ticket and the extra 25 dollar fee...but some people said they did ignore it and they got their license suspended from a different states also.

and the company who sends out the ticket is redflex...guess that's a big name out there. But the actual "ticket" looks real because on the top it has the star valley court address mailing address, and the logo etc.

[SpyderMS]

Originally Posted by tjohnson104

after looking up several different websites, my entrapment is a very common spot. i guess it is called Star Valley?

Ha ha, I got one out there as well. Yeah, just east of Payson. Ignore it, it's not a criminal ticket unless it's 20+ over the speed limit, or over 85mph.

Source: http://www.aztriallawyer.com/Practic...l-Speeding.asp
Additional Source: http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html

I ignored my ticket from there. No issues. Until they serve you, and until after your court date has arrived and passed, you are not 'guilty' of anything, and they can't do anything to your license. You will know well ahead of time if you have a court date, and you must be served or contact them yourself before they will assign one.

Edit: You do run the risk of additional fees if you wait to be served (providing they successfully serve you). In my opinion, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people who ignored Red Flex tickets in the last 5-10 years, it's well worth that risk....

A little history: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...d-cameras.html

Since the cameras first popped up in September 2008, they have snapped more than 2.7 million times. Of those, only about 16 percent resulted in paid citations, generating $78 million for a fund controlled by the Legislature.

[tjohnson104]

Originally Posted by SpyderMS

Ha ha, I got one out there as well. Yeah, just east of Payson. Ignore it, it's not a criminal ticket unless it's 20+ over the speed limit, or over 85mph.

Source: http://www.aztriallawyer.com/Practic...l-Speeding.asp
Additional Source: http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html

I ignored my ticket from there. No issues. Until they serve you, and until after your court date has arrived and passed, you are not 'guilty' of anything, and they can't do anything to your license. You will know well ahead of time if you have a court date, and you must be served or contact them yourself before they will assign one.

Edit: You do run the risk of additional fees if you wait to be served (providing they successfully serve you). In my opinion, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people who ignored Red Flex tickets in the last 5-10 years, it's well worth that risk....

A little history: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...d-cameras.html

that's awesome news. I think im just gunna go ahead and ignore it... but its hard to tell if I have a criminal or civil ticket....the ticket says "approximate" speed was 56 in a 45... so there is no real speed data shown.

[SpyderMS]

Originally Posted by tjohnson104

that's awesome news. I think im just gunna go ahead and ignore it... but its hard to tell if I have a criminal or civil ticket....the ticket says "approximate" speed was 56 in a 45... so there is no real speed data shown.

They always say approximate. Radar isn't 'that' accurate I'm certain it is civil. There was another site that pretty much said you will 'know' if it's Criminal.... and your ticket would be a lot more expensive as well. Either way, they would 'still' have to serve you, make a court date, and your court date would have to arrive 'before' you are guilty. You are safe by ignoring it until being served. If you are served, you make the court date, plead guilty, pay the fine, and go home. Simple as that.

Disclaimer - I am not a lawyer, and you take full responsibility for your own choices. I'm just speaking from experience and what is all over the internet ;-)

[tjohnson104]

if I do get served, i am not making a trip out there just to go to court... ill pay the ticket and that's that hopefully.... but from my understanding these radar tickets do not affect insurance rates or license points right? is there a cite for that town or court to follow up on my "trial" or what ever it is called to know exactly when it has been dismissed or dropped or if they sent somebody to follow up on me etc?

[Jar]

Originally Posted by tjohnson104

if I do get served, i am not making a trip out there just to go to court... ill pay the ticket and that's that hopefully.... but from my understanding these radar tickets do not affect insurance rates or license points right? is there a cite for that town or court to follow up on my "trial" or what ever it is called to know exactly when it has been dismissed or dropped or if they sent somebody to follow up on me etc?

They are reported to insurance and add 3 points to your license.

They are also impossible to win in court, should you ever get served.


Also to whomever was ranting against the "govt taking all your money" above, that may be the case sometimes, but not here.

In this case it's a complete giveaway to a privatized industry. The local municipalities get their cut, but Redflex makes a killing from this system, and those are the monied interests that that lobby for and present this as a "cost-effective" way to "improve public safety".

[dsrttigr]

Star Valley has been a speed trap for over 30 years at least. Sorry to hear they got you. My Family has a cabin in Tonto Village not far from there.