by: Aaron Chatman Posted: Jan 20, 2022 / 05:03 PM EST Updated: Jan 20, 2022 / 05:44 PM EST INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WEHT) — Drivers in Indiana may soon get a
speeding ticket without ever seeing a police officer. A new program is looking to do just that. The State House Roads Committee voted in favor of a bill that would allow the state to place cameras in work zones, then send tickets to people caught speeding in those areas. The bill moves to the Full House for its next vote. Similar bills have been introduced but none have passed.
Florida Traffic Ticket Myths
No one wants to get a ticket, but it can be especially detrimental to a driver's record. While you should always obey traffic law, if you ever find yourself getting pulled over, know these common traffic ticket myths and the truth behind them.
Signing the traffic ticket is an admission of guilt
This is not true. Signing the traffic ticket simply shows that you received the ticket. If an officer asks you to sign the ticket, do so. Signing will not harm or help you in any way.
Ticket is dismissed if police officer doesn't show up to court
It is worth nothing that many police officers receive overtime pay for going to court, and that going to court is part of their job. While tickets can be dismissed if the police officer does not appear in court, it is not a guarantee, nor do you know if the police officer will show up or not. If you decide to contest your ticket, do not create a defense around hoping the officer will not show up.
"Radar malfunction" is a valid defense
Not true. Unless you can prove the police's radar detector was malfunction, which is difficult to say the least, this defense will not hold up in a court of law.
Clerical errors on a ticket can get it thrown out
Clerical errors on a ticket are also not a valid reason to have a ticket dismissed.
Traffic tickets don't transfer to other states
You can't escape a ticket by travelling across state borders. Either way you have to pay the fine, go to traffic school and/or go to court.
Matching traffic flow is a valid excuse for speeding.
Nope. Sadly, even if you feel compelled to speed because of the pace of those driving around you (or are passing you like you're standing still) this is not a legally valid reason for speeding and will not hold up in a court of law.
Police officers give out more tickets at the end of the month to reach their quota
This is also a myth. Most police officers do not have quotas (and some cities ban the use of them), but those who may, have pityingly low ones. No matter what time of the month it is, you risk getting a ticket if you break the law.
Your ticket is dismissed if you pay a little extra for it
Again, not true. No underhanded money dealing is going to save you from having points added to your license, though a defensive driving class might if you are able to elect that option.
Flashing your headlight to warn other drivers is illegal
It's not! You have every legal right to flash your lights and warn drivers of speed traps. A police officer cannot write you a ticket for that.
RICHMOND, Va. -- For the first time in Virginia, police officers could issue speeding tickets through the mail — without pulling over the speeding driver — under legislation sitting on Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk.
SB 1521, which cleared its final hurdle in the General Assembly last week, would allow state troopers to use handheld photo speed monitoring devices to catch vehicles going at least 12 mph over the speed limit in highway work zones.
The owner or renter of the vehicle then would be mailed a summons with a fine of up to $125.
The recipient of the summons could fight the ticket by filing an affidavit or testifying in court “that he was not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the alleged violation,” the bill states.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson), has prompted discussion on social media.
As one user posted on Reddit, “The big difference now will be when you speed past a parked police car and think you’re lucky because they didn’t come after you, but then you get a ticket in the mail.”
Some feared that Virginia is “turning into Maryland,” where photo speed enforcement is common. In 2017, Maryland issued more than 1.5 million speed-camera tickets, with fines totaling more than $62 million. Speed cameras also are used in Washington, D.C.
However, Carrico’s bill is limited:
Speed cameras could be used only by law-enforcement officers employed by Virginia State Police.
They could be used only in or around highway work zones.
Officers using the cameras would have to be present in the work zone and have their blue lights flashing.
Police would have to post “conspicuous” signs within 1,000 feet of any work zone alerting drivers that speed cameras were being used.
Payment of a speed-camera summons would not go on the motorist’s driving record, and it would not affect the person’s motor vehicle insurance coverage, according to the legislation.
The legislation, which passed 74-24 in the House and 30-8 in the Senate, is a response to a spike in roadwork accidents in Virginia in recent years. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, more than 2,600 crashes took place in work zones in 2017.
Over 700 people are killed and more than 35,000 are injured in work zone accidents every year, and drivers make up four out of five of the fatalities.
Jeff Southard, executive vice president of the Virginia
Transportation and Construction Alliance, said 94 percent of work zone accidents are caused by driver behavior.
If Northam signs the bill into law, it would take effect July 1.
By Arianna Coghill/Capital News Service
Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCU’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginia’s community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.
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