Tennessee Ticket Scam?

[JandC]

Last month we were coming south and tried a different route between Paducah and Birmingham. Generally we just take I-24 to Nashville and then I-65 down. However we visited friends in Paducah and they suggested we check out taking US 45/45E south from Paducah to US 64 East to I-65 south. They explained that this would allow us to avoid Nashville plus it was a scenic drive if we wanted to use it for our RV at a later date.

They were right about it being a scenic drive. It took longer but in the RV we are never in a hurry anyway so we were thinking this could be one of our favorite future routes. They warned us about unmanned speed cameras in some of the small towns. I did notice a ton of speed limit changes, some of which did not make any sense, but we were not in any hurry and didn't think anything of it.

After being home for a couple of weeks we got a speeding ticket in the mail. 65 in a 55 along with a photo of the back of my vehicle. Of course if you mail it in right away they only charge $50.00. If you want to come back for court it will be a lot more.

When I talked to my friend about it he explained that some of the small towns can't afford to hire police officers so they have private companies set up the speed cameras and it generates a little extra revenue for them.

I'll try the route once more when we go north in the RV. I'll set my GPS up with a 1 or 2mph over speed warning plus watch extra close. I guess I'll wait and see if it happens again.

[WeBeFulltime]

10 mph over the posted will get you a ticket almost anywhere. My wife got one by camera a few weeks ago for 13 over in town. Guilty...paid online.

[navybanker]

We in Tennessee ignore the tickets since they can not legally force you
To pay when ticketed by a camera. This is from a lawyer and a state representive. It has to do with proving who was driving the vehicle. What you do is up to you!

[richfaa]

Traffic cams are in dispute all over the country.However you got the ticket and 10 mph over will get you a ticket most anywhere.

[navybanker]

I should have said many in Tennessee ignore the camera tickets. It is a controversial program. Personally, I think too many people are speeding these days. I don't think it is being used to catch people from out of state. So, drive safely.

[coachgrowl]

Total scam it has been used in Kalifornia for years. Google it and you can read all about it. Unless your summons is from a court you do not have to pay. Who was driving the vehicle etc etc. It is sad that municipalities have to resort to this type of thing.

[AZ Traveler]

In AZ they did away with the speed and red light cameras based on a ballot initiative. A lot of folks complained but they did tend to slow people down and they were often more objective than a police officer. You had to be 11 mph or more over the limit to get ticketed. The tickets were mailed out after a camera review from a police officer. Once you replied in any way to the ticket it was considered served but it you ignored it they had to physically serve you. They generally only sent someone out to serve you if it was a serious offense or you were a repeat offender. They did not attempt to serve out of state folks.

[WeBeFulltime]

City of Chattanooga daily sets up cameras in unmarked vehicles to catch speeders. They park them on the shoulder and rotate them from place to place. BUT they do put up a highly visible sign about 1/4 mile warning you before you get to it.

[JandC]

Even though I was pre-warned and was watching my speed, I can't say 100% for sure I wasn't speeding. The 3 hour stretch on US Rt. 45 and 45E has several small towns with the strangest speed limit changes I've ever encountered.

I guess it goes against my grain because there is no human element involved, ie an actual police officer stopping you. So everyone going 10 or more that day in that spot gets a ticket? What if one of those driver's had just received a call that their son or daughter had been rushed to a hospital? What if one of those driver's was a poor working Mom with 4 kids in the car who didn't know where grocery money was coming from next week let alone the money to pay a ticket for going 10 over the limit. You see what I'm getting at? This is not about traffic safety, it is ALL about collecting extra revenue. How did getting this ticket make me slow down even more and watch even closer, heck I didn't even know I was speeding until a few weeks after the fact.

I'll mail the ticket in and keep a copy of my receipt with me the next time I travel through there. Actually that is close to the area where the movie "Walking Tall" is taken from. Maybe it is time a couple of those counties get cleaned out again.

[Tfthorp]

I got one in Maryland. Looked up the location 483,000 tickets issued so far this year at $40 each do the math. Wish I made that money.

[Phil P]

Hi

I had one in Florida that was not legitimate not because of the camera it would have been determined in court to be wrong. When I gave the regulation number that said I wasn’t responsible he blew up and threatened me with $1,600 in fines and cost if I didn’t just pay.

Well that’s a felonry clearly defined in federal and state law and the phone was recorded.

I filed a complaint with the local states attorney’s office and it all went away.

Phil P

[mtlakejim]

Lord knows I wanted to not post anything on this site for a while, much less something controversial but I can't stay silent on this one. The original poster stated that they had speed limits jumping up and down for no obvious reason in association with these cameras. That smells of SPEED TRAP to me!!! I have seen places before where the local law enforcement actually had reduced speed posted on major highways when it passed thru their jurisdiction despite the fact that there was no reason to do so (IE: it was in a desolate location), very obvious that they did so to setup a speed trap situation!


And then there is the other obvious issue of who is actually the driver of the vehicle at the time it is speeding. If the primary purpose of the camera is to slow people down that is one thing BUT if it is primarily used to generate revenue (particularly from out of state drivers) then I take serious issue with it!!!


IF the cameras are setup with significant warning of speed changes AND the speed changes make sense (IE: reduced only in congested areas) then I am ok IF they charge the VEHICLE with speeding (IE: Owner pays a fine but not reported on their driving record) although that gets really tricky when it is a leased or company owned vehicle.


Even better if they will also ticket folks that are impeding traffic by driving slow in the left lane! Hey buddy if your vehicle doesn't have blue lights on it is NOT your job to control other drivers speed, much less cut them off.......


Speed alone doesn't usually kill. It is the unskilled, disrespectful and or distracted drivers!!! I have seen proof of that many times on Interstates in Texas (I don't live there) where you can drive 75mph and most of the folks know how to live by the Texas creed of "Lead, follow or get out of the way"! We could all drive 75+ on our highways IF every driver on the road was a professional (IE:not distracted, know how to merge into and pass other traffic plus how to keep a cushion and drive at a consistent speed that was safe for the conditions). Unfortunately we hand out drivers license like candy and there are some real idiots out there.


This is the only post I will make on this thread. Do me a favor and don't prod me for a response (I'm in enough trouble on this website as it is). If it offends someone then that is what I have a reputation for doing so no surprise.

[Phil P]

mtlake jim

You and me both I have had more post deleted than just about anyone else.

In Florida it is written in the regulations somewhere that the owner is responsible to know who is driving their vehicle. So using “I didn’t know who was driving” doesn’t work in Florida.

Phil P

[mlh]

Ok I’m a country boy and have never seen a redlight camera or a speed camera. If you get a ticket in the mail while out of state and ignore it what could and what will happen?
Lynwood

[wal_mart]

I have been told the state where you got the do nothing to follow up. They record name and address. If you ever get stopped in that state there will be a record for your arrest for unpaid fine.

[Carl n Susan]

I could be all wrong, but ask yourself how they got your out-of-state name and address? Every DMV (or whatever they are named in your state) is interconnected with the rest. They make a simple query (aren't computers wonderful) to the state where you live and they get everything they need to know. Have you ever gone to register your vehicle for the next year and were denied due to unpaid parking tickets? Well the other states have the capability to report your unpaid ticket to your DMV.

Fight it or pay it, but I wouldn't ignore it.

[coachgrowl]

1984 is here. If we don't stand up we will continue living on our knees.

[AZ Traveler]

Lot of bad info being shared here. In general, these camera based citations do not go into the court system until they have been served. To be considered served you need to acknowledge receipt via mail or phone or it must be personally served by a process server or officer of the court. Most states have a website where you can go and get the status of a citation. Each state has a little different law which requires some research. There are several low cost law sites which will give you the law for a particular state. Do not call the jurisdiction that sent the citation as that will show you have received it.

All said, if you clearly broke the law the responsible thing to do is own up to it and pay your dues.

[JandC]

Originally Posted by AZ Traveler

Lot of bad info being shared here. In general, these camera based citations do not go into the court system until they have been served. To be considered served you need to acknowledge receipt via mail or phone or it must be personally served by a process server or officer of the court. Most states have a website where you can go and get the status of a citation. Each state has a little different law which requires some research. There are several low cost law sites which will give you the law for a particular state. Do not call the jurisdiction that sent the citation as that will show you have received it.

All said, if you clearly broke the law the responsible thing to do is own up to it and pay your dues.

That is what I'm having a hard time dealing with I guess, did I really violate a speed zone? The day we came through that stretch you could go 10 minutes and never see another vehicle. It is very rural with a few small towns scattered around. I was concentrating on all the different speed zones and staying at or under the limit. In addition to all of that the speedometer in our Mini Cooper shows 3mph faster than you are actually traveling, so when my speedo showed 65 I really was only going 62 by GPS.

Weeks after driving through an area you are not familiar with how can you think back and say "yea, I remember speeding 65 in a 55 in that spot"?

This spring we are taking the coach up into that area and staying for a week or so on the Tennessee River with some friends (Tennessee residents). We will be riding our Harley all through that area so I certainly do not want to take a chance and ignore this ticket. The last thing I want to happen is to get pulled over in the RV and find out there is a warrant for me on the books in Tennessee. That is probably the reason they make it $50.00, so that 99% of the folks just mail it in.

[mazboy]

google is wonderful.
http://www.andyholt4tn.com/holt-the-...f-you-get-one/