Red Light Cameras

[MrMoo]

at what point to you get sent a ticket? lets say johnny started crossing the intersection on a yellow, and the red light went on when he was half way accross the intersection.. is johnny going to get a ticket?

[RVDTHPS]

Probably johnny=you, I don't think you do, I did it last week and I didn't get a ticket

[nano]

yes chances are johnny will get a ticket but red light tickets are like parking tickets it doesnt effect your drivers abstract.

[FastFokker]

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/red-light-camera.htm

For simplicity's sake, we'll only consider traffic moving in one direction through this intersection. When the light is green or yellow for incoming traffic, the computer ignores the triggers and does not activate the cameras. The system doesn't "turn on" until it receives a signal that the light is red. If you're already in the middle of the intersection when the light turns red, the system will not activate the cameras (this is not a traffic violation in most areas). Some systems wait a fraction of a second after the light turns red, to give drivers a "grace period."

[dolphie]

johnny will get a ticket.
the cop will say if it turned red while he was still in the intersection, he'd have had enough time to stop while the light was yellow.
(just sayin what he'd say....)

oh...duh-edited to add: camera, not a cop....i have no idea :)

[T-Bone]

You'll have to talk to a cop for that one.

Using simple logic, there should be two photos of you to prove that you ran a red light.

The first photo showing the light being red and your car entering the intersection. The second photo showing your car a second later exiting the intersection.

[lithiumli]

no, jonny will not get a ticket, i did that last summer and i didn't get a ticket, it will only take a picture of you if the light is red already and you pass the camera area. just look at it like this, you could be in the middle of the road trying to make a left hand turn, you have to usally wait till it's like almost red to make a turn, they won't take a picture of your car.

[Arrow]

The red light cameras in my city will *not* get cars that are already in the intersection when the light turns red... only those that enter the intersection after it turns red.

[gman]

no, jonny will not get a ticket, i did that last summer and i didn't get a ticket, it will only take a picture of you if the light is red already and you pass the camera area. just look at it like this, you could be in the middle of the road trying to make a left hand turn, you have to usally wait till it's like almost red to make a turn, they won't take a picture of your car.

How do you know you would have got a ticket? Most camera in Toronto is just an empty box.

[Screwball]

I did some research on this last year, the camera will only activate if you enter the intersection once the red light has been lit. I still wouldn't make a hobby out of this though.

[rp_guy]

the sensors are on the road before the stop line, so it can't activate if you are already in the intersection, as in the turning left example.

as well, going through an intersection when the light is yellow is also illegal, but these are red-light cameras.. so keep that in mind .. if a cop asks you if u ran the red, but u say the light was yellow, he can still give you a running yellow ticket. (alberta, anyhow)