TAMPA TRAFFIC BLOG: Tribune Comes Out In Favor Of Adding Red Light Cameras To Tampa Intersections
It seemed like a reader-friendly position to take when Tampa’s namesake newspaper came out in an editorial supporting the addition of red light cameras to the city’s intersections in the name of public safety. The opinion piece sites the fact that other cities around central Florida are already operating these red light camera systems and that despite the fact that studies show they tend to stop one type of car accident while increasing another is not a good enough reason not to go forward with the plan. The editorial, however, did not address the numerous problems that are cropping up as counties install the cameras in an attempt to replace money they have lost due to budget cuts.
The problems that have stemmed from red light cameras, which are operated by private companies, include lawsuits, an incident with a scam artist, a rash of tickets being issued for “rolling stops” and even a nightmare story of tickets being issued to the wrong driver. A West Palm Beach attorney who is fighting these cameras all over the state of Florida has claimed the citations, which are similar to parking tickets, only identify a car not a driver. That point seemed to gain merit when a Sarasota woman received two tickets for running red lights in a city she had never been in and in a car with a tag not even close to her own. The editorial on TBO.com says the tickets can be contested but “photographs are difficult to contest” and therein lies the problem. Wrongful tickets, which we know can happen, will be almost impossible to contest and can cost Tampa drivers hundreds of dollars.
If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County and are in need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact experienced Traffic Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourTicket.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.
