8 hours Ago By Michael Golson
A DRIVER was left raging after being hit with a $150 fine for a school zone violation – on a Sunday.Car users across major cities in Georgia, such as Jonesboro, Riverdale, and Atlanta, have hit out at automated citations that have led to over half a million dollars in refunds since they were authorized by a 2018 law.WAGAA driver, James Murphy, was wrongfully cited while the school zone lights were off[/caption]WAGAWhen the lights are flashing, the speed limit is 25 mph – when the lights aren’t flashing it’s 35 mph[/caption]Fox5atlantaState Rep.
Dale Washburn is pushing for a ban on these cameras through House Bill 225[/caption]In one case last year, drivers were ticketed after school hours when the reduced speed limit of 25 mph was no longer in effect, resulting in wrongful citations amounting to $350,000 to $500,000.This includes Ivan DeQuesada, who was wrongly fined $75 for speeding at almost 5pm on a Friday when the school zone lights were off.He said: “I thought about what was happening that day.
I remembered what I was doing, and then I thought, ‘Man, I don’t remember that school zone light being on.’”DeQuesada wasn’t alone either, as other drivers in his neighbourhood had experienced the same issue.He added: “So I asked my neighbours, and then I was shocked to find out that several neighbours also got tickets, and they were kind of unexpected for the same reasons.
”James Murphy, another driver who was fined $125 after being ticketed twice for similar violations, added: “They shouldn’t be raking in money from dozens of cars driving down the road when there’s no light blinking.“It really just seems like a way to try to bring in money, rather than actually increase safety.”The cameras are supposed to work during school hours, with an orange light that flashes on the school zone signs stating that the speed limit is 25 mph.
But when the school day is out, the orange lights are no longer supposed to flash, while the speed limit rises to 35 mph.However, many drivers were being ticketed while the orange lights were no longer flashing, creating hundreds of thousands in wrongful tickets. A spokesperson for Atlanta Public Schools later confirmed the errors, say they were incorrectly issuing citations to drivers after hours, and that affected drivers would be refunded.
In a recent report by Fox5 Atlanta, investigations revealed that erroneous tickets “led to over half a million dollars in refunds from cities like Jonesboro, Riverdale, and Atlanta.”It’s now been questioned whether the cameras were put up to improve safety, or whether they primarily serve as a tool for generating revenue.Indeed, State Rep.
Dale Washburn is pushing for a ban on these cameras through House Bill 225, arguing they prioritize revenue over children’s safety.He said: “When we see the deceit and trickery that’s involved in this, the design is not for children’s safety.“The design is to write tickets and rake in revenue.
There’s no question about that.”Not everyone is convinced banning the cameras is the answer though, including Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett, who believes removing the cameras would put a strain on local law enforcement.She said: “If that tool is taken away, we won’t have near enough officers to be able to cover all of our school zones.
”Ashley Rose-Toomer, from the advocacy group Give School Kids a Brake, also raised concerns on the potential consequences of a ban.She questioned what would happen if a student were injured or killed by a speeding driver.How to fight a speeding ticketAccording to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued.
If pulled over and issued a ticket, drivers can argue or dispute a driver’s personal opinion. When issuing a speeding ticket, an officer is required to write their opinion and come to an “objective” conclusion. If the ticket was written based on that judgment, it can be contested.
An example would be if you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone because others were traveling at the same speed, you could argue that it would be more dangerous to travel at 65 mph.You can dispute the officer’s presentation of evidence. If you were ticketed for something like running a stop sign or making an illegal u-turn, you can’t contest that if an officer saw you, but you can call things into court like eyewitnesses, diagrams, or photos.
Argue that the ticket was issued by a “mistake of fact.” This is tricky, but a “mistake of fact” is a mistake made by a driver about a situation that was beyond their control, or if a driver legitimately did not know they were violating the law. For example, you were driving in two lanes because the lane markers were so worn down that you could not see them.
You could say circumstances justified your driving. You could say you were speeding to pass a possibly drunk driver, or avoiding an accident by rapidly changing lanes. However, the argument won’t work if there’s proof you continued to speed after passing.
Similar to the above, it could be argued that speeding was necessary to avoid harm. The key is to argue that if you weren’t speeding, you or someone else could have been harmed.Consult a traffic attorney, if all else fails.
Many have free consultations to decide whether or not there’s a case.Source: FindLaw.
