As for your ticket, it’s possible that it was a mistake. If I were you I’d ask to see the video of the alleged violation. If there was a mistake, that’s the first step in getting it corrected. Also, it’s possible to ask the city judge to throw out a ticket if you have good reasons — although there could be additional costs if you contest the ticket, but lose.

This smells of the O’Connor businees grap for revenue. He is really hurting us.

That being said, let me make a few comments as to why I feel the state of Tennessee and many of its municipalities have been too cavalier and irresponsible in there acceptance of this unproven technology at the expense of TN citizens.

1. Safety. We all want improved safety. This is a noble goal. Unfortunately “Safety” is also a buzz word used by the manufactures and lobbyist of this type of equipment to win the opinion for their products. They have successfully brainwashed people to believe that electronic traffic enforcement = safety. There is no convincing scientific evidence supported by unbiased & sound research to support the claim that people are safer when these systems are implemented. In fact there are many studies now showing that there may be the potential for more harm in some situations. Until there are sound, unbiased scientific studies that demonstrate consistently that automated electronic traffic enforcement systems improve the safety of motorists, these devices should not be equated with improved safety.
The theory of improved safety is inflated by the companies. In addition surrogate markers such as fewer red light violations don’t necessarily equate to safety as these companies imply.

2. Influence from Private companies. Red flex and other companies are not in the business of saving lives….. Their purpose is to make money. You can trade stock in Red flex. I am afraid these companies have had too much influence with lawmakers in many states, including TN. It seems that thier lobbying efforts and slick talking have convinced legislators (like R in Knox area who proposed a bill last year to give cities gov the power to use these devices and impose violations as civil penalties ) that there systems improve safety, are accurate, and reasonable alternative to police officers. It is absurd to believe these companies receive 50% or more of the fines they collect. If the city truly thinks it needs one of these systems the system should be bought & maintained by the city. Instead of funneling large amounts of local money to companies around the globe with no interest in the area… keep the money local…. Let traffic fines stay local and create jobs for new officers.

3 Due Process of Law. If you receive one of these citations in the mail expect to have your constitutional rights blatantly disregarded. Example…. TN cities have the power to designate Photo enforced speeding tickets as “non moving civil violation..” This empowers the city (and the cam$cam company) to essentially extort money from people who are accused of a violation. The burden of proof is now on the accused. This is probably the biggest problem with the whole electronic enforcement issue. It undermines the whole basis of our legal system and the rights of the accused. Consider this… If a police were to issue the same citation for speeding in the same place it would be classified as a “moving violation”…. This is better for the accused if they felt they were not guilty… at least your constitutional rights are not disregarded and they could appear in court and have there case heard and even question there accuser if they felt it were necessary. I’m not sure who figured this out… but it is brilliant for the municipalities who are using this kind of technology to produce $$$$$

3. Error / Calibration – these systems are not perfect. who ensures calibration…. The company????

4. Corruption….. with potential for easy revenue there is room for corruption. Examples… NC fines were being misappropriated. Many cities have been caught with shortened yellow light times 3/2008, Chattanooga TN had to refund 8800 tickets because someone discovered that the yellow light times were shorted that legally allowed at the intersections with theses type devices…… at least 5 other cities have been accused of the same. There are many more problems in this area

In closing I ask that your continue to research this topic closely. This is a very important topic that has wide spread implications for public safety, constitutional rights, corruption, and other issues.

Regarding who gets the tickets, I share your understanding the the ticket goes to the person whose name is on the vehicle registration. I expect that to create touchy situations within families, and even touchier situations when the vehicle is registered to an employer (and was being driven by an employee)… Fortunately for vehicle owners, though, tickets will not be reported to insurance companies and will not result in “points” on a driver’s license. I’m curious to find out how effective the collection of fines has been in other Tennessee cities. I’ve seen reports about problems collecting on tickets in California, but that does seem to be due in large part to issues about California’s requirement for identifying the driver.

Trina: Thanks for your thoughts on driver behavior and locations needing monitoring. This is stuff that deserves a lot of discussion before any electronic monitoring program is put in place.