I had a scare yesterday. Someone driving a company vehicle triggered one of those red light cameras. The photo was very blurry, and resembled me. As it turns out, it was a vehicle that I do not drive, and it happened at a time when I am not at work, so it could not have been me. But, it did get me to thinking, what should I do should I receive one of these tickets? For that matter, what should friends do if they receive one. As it turns out, they seem rather easy to beat.

First thing to ask yourself, is it a real ticket?

As it turns out, many of the red light tickets issued from these cameras are not tickets at all. They are, rather, a fishing expedition, trying to get you to tell on yourself, or on someone else. Usually it happens in a case where the photo is not clear, or obviously is not the registered owner of the vehicle. How can you tell if it's a real ticket or not? Well, if it says anywhere on it "do not contact the court" then it is not real ticket and can safely be ignored. Also, if it is a real ticket, it will say somewhere on it "NOTICE TO APPEAR."

Second, is it you in the photograph?

If it is not, then it will be rather easy to get a dismissal. Often though, the police, or even the judge, will tell you that you are required to tell them who was driving your vehicle. This is 100% false. You cannot be made to divulge the identity of the driver.

If you are the driver pictured, don't give up hope. You can still sow doubt in the judge's mind and get it dismissed. Unless it is a crystal clear photograph, you can often win a dismissal.

Also, there are many more ways to beat these tickets. Of course, the information I gave above is just a general overview, and not at all rock solid proof. Do some research, and get all the facts before trying to beat one of these tickets. I've found this site to be most helpful: http://www.highwayrobbery.net/ I suggest that anyone living in California read and bookmark this site, especially with money as hard to come by as it is right now.