Hey what do I need to know about disputing a Traffic Camera Offence from Canada (Vancouver BC)?

I went through a red light while my head was turned backward over my left shoulder (lights turn red very fast from green to yellow to red). When I turned back around and went through the intersection (at night) I noticed two bright flashes, and then I get a notice in the mail. I am going to fight this, because I am not guilty.

Any tips? Can Canada submit traffic violations to my US drivers license?

Thanks for any help.

 

u should be able to dispute it...go to the closest court house and get a court date. by the way.....technically u are guily!

 

Nope, technically he's innocent...

until proven guilty

 

But you aren't guilty?

 

I an not guilty of intentionally violating the law. The particular intersection changed from yellow to red so fast it's meant to trap people. It is inconsistant with other intersections in the Vancouver area, and is a trap.

 

thast what i thought until i was arrested under suspicion.

for example: if you accuse someone of murder they HAVE to take your word for it and arrest them and treat them as if they commited murder.

pretty fucked up huh

 

So, flashed twice? That means it took one of your face and the other of your liscense plate? One of the problems associated with automated speed traps and such is the fact that they have to show that YOU were driving the car at that time. I'd try to dress differently, put on makeup (if you really wanna go all out)--just make yourself look completely different and say your cousin was driving

FS

 

full smoke has 777 posts. it's an omen. make a wish!

 

My home address number is 7777

FS

 

No, they took two pictures of the rear of my vehicle. If I dispute the offence I have to give them my drivers license number, and they will know it was me. If I do nothing can they get my drivers license number?

 

Nope (at least in the states, dunno about Canada)! Over here, if you get a ticket of any sort, the officer or thing that shows you violating a law must be able to identify you as the driver. If the camera only took pictures of the rear of your car, how will they know if someone stole your car and was taking it for a joy ride? Maybe you let your friend drive it and he didn't stop at the light? They can't convict you of a crime you, YOURSELF, did not commit. Maybe this is all different in Canada, but in the states, I know for a fact that your face must be identified as the one who committed the offense. Sorry if this sounds angry or vindictive... I am not in that great of a mood (rather, i'm only trying to help)!

FS

 

Well maybe I will loose, but I'm just going to calm down and treat this an an adventure and a learning experience. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is on my side, and is either trying to teach me something, or maybe show me how to stand up for myself and prevail. If I did something to deserve the ticket I will pay it, but I don't remember being in an angry state of mind, so I don't think it would be justice to have to pay the ticket for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Anyways God bless you all, and wish me luck. Sorry for acting like a jerk before. I needed to vent.

 

Nah, you're good--you were not a jerk or angry. I fought my ticket. My father fought his ticket. Nothing is fair in life and you just have to fight for some things in life, either in a nice or dirty way. I'm not that big into religion (I mean no offense) but I know that some courts can be crooked (like helping the city with finances by convicting innocent drivers). Be careful, they may be dirty...

1bad7: My father fought his tickets in the past and have won most of them because of flaws in the system, whether it be technological (the radar/lidar guns) or by catching flaws in the court system. Many people have started businesses and have written many books to help people get out of traffic tickets. Don't always trust traffic officers, some cities actually give commision to catch speeders (so I've heard from government workers).

FS

P.S. I hope no one takes this post the wrong way (if that's possible?), but I am only stating knowledge which I have accumulated during the span of my life.

 

Ok, I used to live in Vancouver and now live in Calgary, where they also use red-light cameras.
The reason they take two pictures is because the first one is to show your car entering the intersection after the light turns red. The second one shows your car leaving the intersection on the far side of the intersection after running the light. (this is so that those entering the intersection to turn right, which is legal, don't get nailed. This also clears those who entered on the yellow but couldn't clear the intersection before the light changed).
As for the fine, that's all you get. They don't assess demerits on your licence and your insurance rates are not affected--- unless you fight it and admit to being the driver. Problem is, you won't win over a camera and they'll want to know who was driving as a condition of hearing you out. Don't give them any names because whoever's name you give will be assessed demerits.
But back to the camera: I've noticed here in Calgary that some of the intersections where cameras are used have shorter times between light changes than non-photo lights. At $250+ per ticket, this represents a very lucrative haul for the provincial treasury and by extension, for the City coffers and police department programs.
The thing to do is hang onto the ticket and have an investigation into why the light changes so quickly at that intersection. With enough complaints (be sure to involve the press!) from others who have been nailed, the city would have to explain why that light needs to change faster than all the rest. If it's ruled against them, your ticket could be ruled null and void.
If I were you, I'd log onto the rx7 club forum in Vancouver (bcrx7club.com) and post a thread naming this particular light, just to see what comes up. Somebody in that city could then run a stop watch on it and others on the same stretch of pavement to confirm the discrepancy.
Exactly where in vancouver and at which intersection and direction did this happen?

Brett.

 

That's suspicion of guilt - it isn't guilt.

So again I state. He's not guilty.

 

Aviator is right, theres no way out of paying it unless you go and time the light (yellow light must be at least 3 seconds)

When they first installed one near my house I got caught on it and paid the 144$, read later in the local paper that someone who got caught went back and timed the very same light and it was ~2.2 seconds...talk about a scam eh

 

lol.....i say send them a picture of the money.....then again i am a smart ***

 

But seriously... Can they find you guilty without having a picture of the person driving?

FS

 

i just got back from vacation and found a photo ticket waiting for me...we have them here too...but we also have speed radar which is bull ****.

you need to know that you are not being fined for running the light, you are being fined for allowing your vehicle to break the law as the registerd owner. so even if you claim it was not you, under these fucked up un just laws you are still the one who gets blamed for allowing your vehicle to break the law.

the only way i can think to fight it is to claim that someone with a simmilar car temporarily stole your licence plates and ran the red, then returned them...damn kids!! that way your vehicle is not involved in the offence and if innocent untill proven guilty is still around, and that whole "with out reasonable doubt" bit is still part of our law, you should be able to get out of the ticket.

 

Tell 'em you want to face your accuser, as is your right as an American citizen.

 

His rights as an American citizen don't have any bearing on this matter. He was in Canada, and is bound to follow our laws. More to the point, he ran a red light. This fact is not in dispute.

Maybe you should take some responsibility for your actions.

 

I believe it's "Guilty until proven innocent"

 

Someone actually did that once. They sent him back a picture of Handcuffs. I think he then paid the ticket.


You can get out of it. They have to prove it's you driving, and if they have no pictures of your face, they can't. Tell them you lent it to a friend or some BS and it ended up like 6 people took it for a test drive and you don't know who was driving. They can't issue you a ticket for that.

 

Yeah, you're probably right.

*Scratching Canada off my list of places to visit*

 

Exactly. If you think the light was a trap, you might be able argue it by mail. Somebody's going to need to go out there and time that light though. I'm not sure how you're going to pull that off. Maybe a Canadian forum member can help you out?

For all your saying "He ran the light, he deserves it." It's not that simple.
A town can't just decide to make its speed limit 10mph everywhere, it's illegal (at least in my state). Nor can they switch instantly from a 65mph zone to a 30mph zone. There are standards that must be followed. I'm sure there are similar standards for red lights.
If the yellow light is so quick that a vehicle with some certain "standard" level of braking ability could not slow down from the speed limit to a stop before the light goes red, he should win.
Otherwise he looses.

If you haven't gone out there and timed that light, then you don't know if he deserves it or not.