DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Anyone else get a Speeding ticket from Cameras

Apparently I was driving though Newburgh Hts, Ohio on the 26th of August. I guess I was going 35 in a 25 zone. Dang, today I got a speeding citation and the fine is $150.00.

Is it just me or does the fine seem excessive?

I mean if I were cranking it, like 15 or 20 miles over, I guess, but 10 miles over? Not a school zone, and it was a sunday afternoon. I guess I can see the fine but damn, $150.00 bucks? Geez

Slow down Mr Magoo

Wow



I bet property taxes are lower in Newburgh Hts, Ohio.

Hey, officers can dedicate more time to serving traffic ticket default warrants.

I heard a story about a guy who got a speeding ticket in the mail, along with a photo of his car and the speed reader. He took a picture of $150 and mailed it back in the payment envelope. The next week he got a photograph of a pair of handcuffs ...

Probably an urban legend, but still funny.

To answer your question: yes, its an exhorbitant fine. Traffic law enforcement has very little to do with safety. Its all about revenue streams for every pissant suburb from one end of Cuyahoga County to the other.

Well, you need to include quite a few more counties.

Just sticking with what I know. I'm familiar with freeway driving all over the place, where I generally follow the cop's credo "8, and you're great - 9, and your mine" (if the speed limit is 60, don't exceed 68). But on city streets, I see no reason why a main street should ever be 25 MPH speed limit, unless its a school zone and school is in session. Heck, my engine starts lugging when I go that slow.

You should go back to that camera and spray paint the lens black so it can't do that to anyone else.

I got cited by a camera a few years ago in Columbus when they were still in use. Some interesting things I remember from the experience:

1. I was being charged an "administrative fee", not a fine

2. The letter I received said I would not be given any points on my license if I paid the fee

3. If I wasn't the one driving, I had to rat out provide the name of the person driving my vehicle so that they could be assessed the fee


I did some research since the whole thing runs counter to the theory of our judicial system; i.e. I was not innocent until proven guilty and had to prove my innocence instead of the law proving my guilt. I should not have to make their case for them; that's their job.

From what I remember, the term "administrative fee" was used to avoid any direct accusation of guilt. I was also not accused or charged with a crime. I could contest it with much time, resources, and energy - or I could pay the $100 and walk away.

I took the practical approach despite hating everything about the situation. Needless to say I was overjoyed that this is no longer legal in Columbus.

Curious to hear the details of your ticket given the above info I shared.

That's just wrong. How did they calculate that fine?

I'll share the details: it's a money grab.

Sure, it's a money grab, but assuming they also want to teach the lesson of not speeding and potentially killing a kid in a suburban area, how else would they go about doing that? $5 fine?

How about $50? Or $75? The point is they are eroding their own message about safety by making it obvious that they are all about making money for their municipality with fines that are out of proportion to the violation.

Coulda swore those things were run out of Ohio a few years ago because it was revealed that someone within the camera company was paying some state official in order to get them implemented?

Ya beat me to it.

Edit: I wouldn't complain about the $150 either. Where I live, it's $233.95 for the first speeding offence (I know, 95 cents....)

I just got one in Toledo while travelling through the hood....I was afraid of being captured by Democrats.

I di my best not to speed, because I just can't afford tickets. However, every once in a while I'll look down at the speedometer, and see myself doing 10 or 15 miles over, and I slam on my brakes. It really seems to annot the people behind me, especially when they wind up in my back seat.

Seriously, though, I do try to watch my speed.

I have found the best way to avoid a speeding ticket is to..........get this: Not speed.

My wife, daughter, son, and friends all gripe about how I drive. Speed limit is 65? I may push it and go 68 mph.


They say "we're going to be late", and my simple reply is "Well, you should've been ready earlier."

Seriously - I'm not getting pulled over at 68 in a 65. At 75 in a 65, good chance I'll get pulled over. The difference in 75 over 68 equates to 7 minutes per hour. Even heading to Cleveland, that's 20 minutes IF you don't get pulled over. Leave 20 minutes earlier.


If you're just doing normal 10 minute drives, what does an extra 10 mph do for you? Get a ticket for speeding? You pay the fine, and your insurance goes up for a few years.

Sorry, I'll be the slow one on the road. I love racing. On a track. On the road? Not so much.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was decided like two years ago in the State of Ohio that the traffic cameras were unconstitutional and had to be removed.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that unmanned cams are Constitutional.

IIRC, Cleveland doesn't have any because the voters voted them out.

I wish voters would do so across the country. Let's say you're driving across several states with another couple, in your car, and you are trading off driving as you go. You are driving through unfamiliar territory, and you honestly don't remember who was driving through an area in a state you have never been in in your entire life. Any of the 4 people in the car could have been driving. Too bad. The person the car is registered to gets the ticket.

To me, that's garbage.

They still have hidden camera's in both East Liverpool Ohio, and in Wellsville Ohio.

That's Canadian money though.

My wife gets on me every time were on our way to or back from YSU. Cameras everywhere and I know numerous people who have received tickets in the mail. Every one of them were at least 10mph over so I feel like I have a cushion lol.

arch above:



This is a very interesting phenomenon.

For instance Cleveland-to-Columbus is ~ 140 miles.

At 70 mph = 2 hours (120 minutes)
At 60 mph = 2 1/3 hours (140 minutes) And you feel like you're pokin' down I71 and the trip will take forever.



At 80 mph, it feels like you're flying down I-71.



But it still takes 105 minutes (An hour and 45 minutes)

It's our perception of the space/time continuum.



You're welcome.

You should have sent them a check for $60 and told them you took out your own $40 administrative fee.

Cary, NC used to have cameras and they took them out. Wasn't because they weren't keeping people safe, it was because they weren't making enough money. People were challenging the tickets all the time and after they added up the court costs and everything associated with collecting and processing the fees, they were losing money...

So to anybody who gets one of these and has the ability, fight it.. if for no other reason, just so they aren't making a profit off you. You will still probably end up paying though...

It wasn't a camera ticket, but many years ago, when I worked in Kent, I got a speeding ticket on 76. I got pulled over, from the right lane, after having cars blow by me left and right. The Trooper asked me if he knew why he pulled me over, and I said "Because you couldn't catch the people who were speeding?"

I was mad, and went to Ravenna court. The prosecutor assistant comes into the little room they took me to, and asked my why I was bothering, I had no chance to win, and so forth ......

I had my work briefcase with me. In it, I had a folder full of work materials, it was one of those folders that is enclosed, with the top that folds over and ties up. (I don't know how else to describe it)

Anyway, I looked this assistant prosecutor dead in the eye, and I told him that I understood that I had no chance of winning, but I have all kinds of neat stuff to introduce into evidence, threw the folder on the table, and told him that he better call his wife, because he was going to be home really late. He wanted to reach for the folder, but I grabbed it back and said that I have every right to enter my evidence in the courtroom.

He turned kinda green. I wound up with a plea of a seat belt violation, $25 fine with no costs.

It was really pretty funny, except for the fact that it cost me $25.

On the back, they have it broken down.

10-19 miles over the limit: $150.00
20-29 miles over the limit: $200.00
30 or more is $300.00

It goes up in a school zone of course.

I got one in east Cleveland a few years ago.....but....there was a ruling in ohio that they cannot hold you liable to pay them unless an officer also personally witnesses the infraction....which, in many cases, doesn't happen.

So, I threw it away....they sent a few more.....after awhile they stopped altogether...idk if its still the case, but asaik they can't lock you up, they can't put it on your credit, they really can't do anything about it.

Hmm something to check on,, thanks

I got one from East Cleveland back in 2010. My wife was driving and I was in the passenger seat. Apparently, we got hit by a hidden camera that had no posted sign. We was in a "school zone". They didn't have the typical speed limit school sign with the signal. School wasn't even in session yet.

She was going 24 in a 20...just 24. It was after a red light to boot. it was $95 at first then it was raised to $250 because we was late. To this day, we never paid it. They sent letters, etc until they stopped around the time Cleveland voted the cameras out. It never affected our credit.

same...

I'm pretty certain they were ruled unconstitutional at some point, but then, the state decided that they were constitutional, however, only if an actual police officer witnessed the infraction. In other words, the camera can only be used as additional evidence/documentation to an officer writing you a ticket.

And I believe the reason for this stipulation lies in the right for an individual to confront their accuser in the court of law. With a camera, their is no accuser that can be confronted, and so, unless an officer witnesses the infraction, its not a valid ticket.

This certainly doesn't stop them from sending them out....cuz I'm sure a percentage of ppl just pay them...I didn't, and nothing came out of it...

I got hit with the same camera over by Shaw High School on a small side street.
I never paid it.

Or people could just obey the laws ... speed limits are LIMITS not a guideline by accepting a driver license you have already agreed to obey those laws. By not doing so not only are you breaking the law but a liar too. Don't like it then get the votes to change it.

And no, I don't speed. I like having a safe distance in front of me to brake considering all the idiots on the roads these days who drive like maniacs to get somewhere 2 minutes faster when they could just get up 5 minutes earlier and drive like a sane person.

Got ya a whole bunch poetic justice there. That was funny. Seems like a bunch of cash for that. Not like there is a bunch of overhead or billable hours involved.

Can you write it or any part off your taxes? Is it possible a charge-off business expense?

Pain getting caught.

I consider speed limits to be a suggestion; a starting point, if you will. I think the people in no particular hurry who plant themselves in the express / passing lane and then set their cruise @ 58 in a 60 or 65 MPH zone cause more accidents than the people like me who safely drive 65 in a 60 zone, or 70 in a 65 zone. They should just stay in the bunny lane and get out of my way. I'm trying to get somewhere, not peruse the scenery.

How odd.

Obey the laws, and you don't get tickets?

If someone is in the fast lane, and not going the speed limit, I agree. Get out of the way.


But people need to understand, if you're going too fast, you WILL get a ticket. Deal with it.


And with that said, there is also a "keeping up with traffic" scenario, due to the reasons you mentioned.

If all cars are going 10 mph over the speed LIMIT, I move over to the right lane, but try to maintain maybe 5 mph over the LIMIT.

The rule is don't be first or last in a clump of speeders. Stay in it and keep to the right as much as possible. I certainly don't advocate going 80 or 85 on the freeway, but I don't consider 5 miles per hour over the limit to be speeding. I believe the speed limit is set at the mean MPH for safe operating, not the high end of still-safe operating speed.

I used to often follow cars flying down the interstate way over the speed limit.

Especially back when the national speed limit was 55.

That was like poky.

It's funny. Back then 70 mph was very risky.

Of course, in general, I think the cars were less safe back then. (let's say 1980s and earlier)

Then again...

I had a 69 Chrysler New Yorker. Safest vehicle I’ve ever owned. I could hit a phone pole and dent the pole, not the car. Solid American steel. It was big, heavy and smooth as a Long Island Tea.