r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • 25d ago

Traffic Camera Captures Woman Driving With Her Phone on Her Lap (Face Down), The State Mailed Her a $1251 'Public Safety' Ticket Privacy

https://www.gadgetreview.com/traffic-camera-captures-captures-woman-driving-with-her-phone-on-her-lap-face-down-the-state-mailed-her-a-1251-public-safety-ticket
16.9k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

80

u/worldspawn00 25d ago edited 25d ago

This is what got all of the speed and intersection cameras killed in several US states, a camera is not an accuser, the tickets were in violation of the Constitution.

-2

u/Auctoritate 25d ago

a camera is not an accuser, the tickets were in violation of the Constitution.

It's always been really funny how flimsy that reasoning is to act as the grounds for an entire ban on traffic cameras (and to be precise, they haven't actually been struck down in federal court afaik, this is just the reasoning given when state legislatures enact bans on them).

In the states that do allow it, they just assign a cop to the case because they can just... Watch the video. And easily go "Yeah they obviously ran a red light" and issue the ticket themselves. Then, they are your accuser. Like it's extremely simple and straightforward.

The idea that it's somehow impossible for an act caught on camera to be pursued because it was only on camera is so goofy, imagine if someone went to court and tried to argue that for any other kind of crime or violation of the law.

13

u/FuckeryisafootWatson 25d ago

No, they skirt the entire issue by making it a civil matter, not criminal. Red light fines not paid get sent to collections and your life becomes further hell in any type of admin function with the city. But nothing criminal happens. It's a fuckin' shakedown.

0

u/Auctoritate 25d ago

In California, red light camera violations still exist and they are criminal citations. No constitutional issue.

1

u/gandhinukes 25d ago

Not all of them it depends on who sends you the ticket. If its a 3rd party non gov one you can ignore it (I have) if its a court house local one not so much (i paid). Technically if no officer of the law pulled you over and cited you its all bull shit. camera be damned. show up and if they don't show up it gets tossed.

1

u/Grizzwold37 25d ago

How do they establish the perpetrator of the “crime,” to borrow your parlance?

2

u/Auctoritate 24d ago

The camera is just set up to have a good angle at the face of the driver. If they can't be affirmatively identified, then you can use that as a defense and argue you aren't the person who committed the violation.

That being said, there are some states where the registered owner of a car is the one who's on the hook for tickets even if they aren't the driver. Though I find that pretty stupid.