I've heard that in Texas, you can pretty much ignore a traffic camera ticket, because the law says that an officer must observe the violation.
But I'd hate to be the test case for that theory.
I hate those cameras. I've almost been rear-ended by drivers following me when I had to brake abruptly to avoid a light that might go red as I reached it. Yellow lights at some of these camera locations seem to be especially brief.
A few weeks ago, I entered an intersection just as the light went yellow. I couldn't possibly have stopped. And some fool made a right turn on his red light without checking the intersection first. I was barely able to avoid him, and presume that the light went red before I cleared the intersection, after recovering from my swerve. If I get a ticket over that, I want to fight it.
Mind you, one needs to be ready to stop if a light goes red. I saw a three-car accident when a car ran a red light two weeks ago. I always look for a last-minute red light runner before I go forward on a fresh green light. I was almost killed by a nurse who went to sleep at the wheel and ran a red light. Her big Mercedes left white paint on the front bumper of my Toyota. Thank God, I have great brakes!(And really good peripheral vision!) The nurse had just worked a 12-hour shift, and was on her way home, sleepy. My light had been green for several seconds.
I think medical personnel need not to be working long hours that make them drowsy and impair their judgement. That may have caused a number of accidents, both medical and traffic.
T-Star
P.S. BTW, I am not a chronic red light runner. If anything, I drive VERY defensively, and often yield right of way, if it'll avoid an accident.
